Getting Started in Ladakhi - A Phrasebook

GettingStartedin

LadakhiA Phrasebook for Learning LadakhiRevised and Expanded EditionBy Rebecca Norman

Melong Publications of LadakhLeh2005

Getting Started in Ladakhi: a phrasebook for learning LadakhiRevised and expanded edition2nd printingBy Rebecca NormanIllustrations by Akbar AliCover photograph by Stanzin Dorje (Gya)

© 1994, 2001, 2005 by Rebecca NormanAll rights reservedPrinted in New Delhi

This and other publications may be ordered from:

Melong PublicationsP.O. Box 4Leh, Ladakh 194 [email protected]

or visit our office in Leh

Ladags Melong Ladakh’s only bilingual English and Ladakhi magazineLadakhi—English—Urdu Dictionary by Abdul HamidLadakhi Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Recipes by Gabriele Reifenberg

Bilingual storybooks:The Magic Thukpa PotThe City Mouse and the Country MouseLittle CheepThe Ant and the Pigeon

The Ladakhi in this book is Pierre Robilliard’s LTibetan font for the Macintosh withthe fantastically easy shareware program WylieEdit.

Contents

Guide to pronunciation inside front coverAbbreviations ivForeword vIntroduction vii

I Conversation and Grammar1 Greetings and visiting 12 Forming sentences 93 Numbers 194 Present tense 245 All five words for TO BE 296 Past tense and verb types 357 Commands 418 Additional grammar 449 Songs 57

II Writing and PronunciationThe alphabet 61Vowels and whole syllables 65Combined letters 69Further spelling notes 74Regional variations 76Why write in modern Ladakhi? 78

III Vocabulary and Phrases 80See inside back cover for page numbers

Abbreviations

act active verbaux auxiliary verbCOMMAND basic command stem of a verbe.g. for exampleesp especiallyhon honorific (i.e. vocabulary showing respect to the person or

thing who does the verb or has the noun)hon obj honorific object (i.e. vocabulary, usually a verb, showing

respect to the object of the verb)i.e. that isinac inactive verbint intransitive verblit literallynon-hon non-honorific (i.e. normal vocabulary)PAST STEM past stem of a verbSTEM or present/future stem of a verbPRES STEM tr transitive verb

v

Foreword

If the valley is reached by a high pass, only the best of friends andworst of enemies are its visitors. — Tibetan Proverb

Ladags, our land of high passes, has so far been very fortunate tohave had mostly the best of friends visiting. Ever since Ladakh wasopened to tourism in 1974 it has had an unprecedented number offoreign visitors. However due to the inaccessibility and ‘inhospitableclimate’ only those with a special interest in our land and peoplehave visited us. This is why, unlike many other tourist destinationswhich have been culturally devastated by tourism, in Ladakh it has,in many ways, strengthened the Ladakhi people. This is easier tobelieve for those who remember the time when developmentagencies and officials from the big cities had almost overwhelmed uswith the idea that we were primitive, backward people and should‘civilise and develop’ to be like the ‘proper humans’ in the cities.

It is thanks to the many friends and supporters brought bysensitive (or at least less insensitive) tourism and the recognition itgave to the richness of our culture, traditions, values, and ourbeneficial nature-friendly lifestyle that the speed at which weLadakhis were trying to break every link with our ‘inferior’ roots inthe nineteen sixties and seventies has not only slowed down, but nowthere is even a definite trend of pride in these roots.

However, this positive impact of tourism would not have beenpossible without interaction between visitors and locals. In theabsence of communication, even best friends could play the role ofworst enemies, no matter how much they respect Ladakh. Our youngpeople would see you as another rich Westerner and be moreimpressed by your dark glasses and blue jeans. With all theunderstanding you may have of the unsustainability of the Westernlifestyle and its social and emotional problems, you would only bepropagating the notion that ‘West is best.’

It is amazing how your presence changes into a most powerfuleducational tool for both sides when there is an interaction betweenyou and the locals. While you learn more about Ladakh and life herein a way that would not have been otherwise possible, your Ladakhifriends get a first-hand account of the realities of the West, that it isdifferent from the all-beautiful images seen on cinema and television

viscreens. This also makes us more aware of the values in our ownculture and lifestyle which we would not have otherwise appreciated.

Yet for communication to take place, a common language, or atleast a starter, is essential and this is where the present book aims tobridge the gap. This book might not promise to make you fluent inLadakhi in weeks, but it will definitely provide you an opportunity toget started in friendly conversations with Ladakhis, who alwaysappreciate and help people learning their language.

Yet it would be wrong to assume this book is only for thoseintending a cultural exchange experience or serious long-termcultural study. In fact, apart from giving common vocabulary andphrases for different situations in the market, in the villages and ontreks, etc., it also guides the visitor in the do’s, don’ts and nuances ofLadakhi culture and manners. For the more serious, it also presentsthe Ladakhi alphabet so you can read and write. The addedadvantage of having Ladakhi script alongside is that people can readwhat you want to say when you are not otherwise understood. Again,this brings you closer to the locals as you have something they canparticipate in.

In short this book is invaluable for every visitor who wants to bemore than just another tourist. It might even make the differencebetween being a ‘best friend’ or a ‘worst enemy’ for this land of highpasses.

Sonam Wangchuk1994

vii

Introduction

I hope this book helps other visitors to Ladakh learn the languagemore quickly than I did. Arriving in Ladakh after a brief course inTibetan, my rudimentary Tibetan was useless with most Ladakhis.There are similarities in the grammar structure—and knowing theTibetan writing system did help—but virtually all the greetings,requests, basic sentences and verb endings are totally different.

Getting started in Ladakhi was a great hurdle as there wasnothing in print to help the beginner make simple sentences. Feelingthe need for a book like this, I wrote the first edition after only twoyears in Ladakh, when I still really didn’t know much. With sixyears more experience, the second edition was much improved,especially in explaining grammar and in having a morecomprehensive vocabulary section.

This book tries to reflect the speech of Leh: I was careful toavoid classical language and include only what I hear, as ancient orexcessively polite forms are not much use to the beginner. Inmonasteries, however, you may find people who like to use classicalor Tibetan forms, and of course there are regional differences, evenfrom one village to the next. However, most Ladakhis canunderstand the Leh variety, and can tell you what the localalternative is.

The written Ladakhi is included so that Ladakhis can read it ifthe pronunciation doesn’t work, and learners may learn the writingsystem. It is not difficult and will help you understand pronunciation.

With sentences, a word-by-word translation is included. Owingto basic differences between the two languages it was not alwayspossible to make the word-by-word line precise, but I hope it gives asense of sentence structure and encourages readers to create newsentences by substitution. Without this, they cannot break phrasesdown and actually learn rather than pointing to the printed page.

The written Ladakhi or Bodik found in most books published inLadakh is a mix of ancient Classical Tibetan and modern Ladakhi.Modern Ladakhi, modern Tibetan and Classical Tibetan are notmutually intelligible and thus can be considered three distinctlanguages. Revering the Classical language, many Ladakhis believethat spoken Ladakhi is somehow not correct, and that grammar and

viiiproper language must be difficult and obscure. I have been told morethan once that ‘spoken Ladakhi has no grammar.’

Actually, spoken Ladakhi has a rich grammar, full of subtletyand nuances of meaning. Indeed, it has a highly developed andfascinating system of verb forms (called evidentiality in linguistics)lacking in the Classical language.

Anyone who endeavours to publish in Ladakhi walks a fine linebetween traditional Tibetan spelling and the modern spokenlanguage. Taking Sanyukta Koshal’s Conversational Ladakhi, andHelena Norberg-Hodge and Geylong Paldan’s Ladakhi-EnglishDictionary as models, I spelled in a very colloquial way. Wheneverthe traditional Tibetan spelling of a word is close enough to anyregional version in Ladakhi, I used that spelling in this book, even ifit is not the Leh pronunciation. For this reason you may notice placesin the book where the Bodik and the given pronunciation don’t seemto match: the pronunciation is for Leh/Central Ladakh, while theBodik may reflect pronunciation somewhere outside of Leh.

I hope the scholars of Ladakh will forgive the colloquialgrammar and spelling, and remember that the language theythemselves speak is not wrong or bad, but is a real and livinglanguage with a rich grammar and vocabulary of its own.

The spoken Ladakhi language desperately deserves writtenexpression, and it is Melong Publications’ aim to publish secular,readable materials in it.

My thanks to Henk Thoma for his substantial help and support,and to Simone Costa, Bettina Zeisler, and the many others who tooktime to offer careful corrections and suggestions; and to SonamWangchuk and everyone at SECMOL for their patience with myconstant questions.

This book is dedicated to my mother, who wanted it to be titledYakkity-Yak.

1 Greetings & visiting

Vocabulary

zu$-v*- ju-le The all-purpose word: hello, goodbye, goodmorning, good night; please, thank you, etc.

wfn-d;r- k˙amzang? (Are you) well?

wfn-d;r- k˙amzang (I’m) well.

m-f-e(- há-ma-go I don’t understand.

m-e(- ha-go I understand.

m-e(-z- ha-go-a? Do you understand?

z(- q-n- o or kasa yes, okay; I see. (Kasa is more respectful.)

f]- man no

g-a#e- tsapík a little bit; just a little

v*- -le A polite particle added to the end ofsentences to show respect to the listener; alsoadded to names and terms of address forrespect to the person named.

VerbsThese are verb stems, which can be used as commands. When telling orasking someone to do something, it is polite to use honorific verbs ratherthan the non-honorific words.lên- zhuks* sit, stay (honorific)

lên-v*- zhuks-le ‘Please sit down.’

z[(]- don** eat, drink (hon)

Nœ≈([- skyot come; go (hon) ‘Come in!’

* zh is pronounced as in plea s ure, Bre zh nev, or French Je.** Remember that ∂ sounds like English d, while d is like Spanish d, with the tip of

the tongue against the teeth.


nv- sal give (hon)

zeC#e- ∂ik** it’s okay; that’s enough; it’s all right

Family membersRemember to add -le for respect.,-f- ama mother

,-d- aba father

f*-f*- me-me grandfather

,-d#- abi grandmother

,-u(- q-q- a-cho or ka(g)a elder brother

,-t*- a-che elder sister

](- ](-](- no or no-no younger brother

](-f(- no-mo younger sister

,-lr- azhang uncle

,-]*- a-ne aunt

Nouns: food and drink

u- cha tea (common: your own tea)

en(v-u- solja tea (hon: anyone else’s tea)

u-w]-o*- cha khan-†e butter tea, salt tea

u-frc-f(- cha ngarmo sweet tea, milk tea

yr- ch˙ang fresh fermented barley wine, ‘beer’

y$- ch˙u water

y$-dNœ(v- ch˙u -skol boiling water (served hot)

b- sha meat

Greetings & visiting 3

z(-f- oma milk

l(- zho yoghurt (curd in Indian English)

o-e#- tagi any bread made of wheat

zdCn- ∂as rice

Nåen- spaks the vegetable or meat dish of a meal

Âf-sX*- (ß)ngampe Tsampa, roasted barley flour. Edible withoutfurther cooking, it is ideal trekking food.

w(-ve k˙olak ngampe mixed into a dough

a-d- paba mixed grain and pea flours cooked together

p%e-a- t˙ukpa soup, usually with home-made noodles

t$-v#- chuli apricot

s-o#r- p˙ating best variety of apricot, dried with its edible nutinside

Phrasesz(- zu$-v*- o(t), ju-le

yes thanksYes, please. / Thanks.

f]- zu$-v*- man, ju-leno thanks

No, thank you.

y$-dNœ(v-nv-v*- ch˙u-skol sal -lewater-boiled give

Please give me boiling water.

dNœ≈([- v*- skyot -le!come/go

Please come in! (or Please go!)

dlên- v*- zhuks -le!sit

Please sit down!

en(v-u-z[(]-v*- solja don - letea drink

Please have some tea.

zeC#e v*- ∂ik -leokay

That’s enough, thanks.

zeC#e-e- v*- ∂ig-a -le?okay?

Is it okay? (With gestures, this is avery useful phrase.)

yr- z[(]- v*- ch˙ang don - le!chhang drink

Have some ch˙ang!


g-a#e- g-a#e-v*- tsapík, tsapík -lea little, a little

Just a little, please.

Ladakhi Manners

Terms of addressIt is good to call people ama-le, nono-le or acho-le, etc., according to thedifference between your age and theirs. For instance, you can call ashopkeeper’s attention by calling him azhang-le if he seems old enough to beyour father or uncle. Monks are called azhang-le and nuns ane-le. Also, bealert: people will call you by these terms, too.

HonorificsLike many languages, Ladakhi has separate vocabulary for honorific andnon-honorific uses. You don’t need to know many honorifics, but there aresome you will hear often. Honorifics are used to speak to or about monks,elders, strangers, guests, etc.—and since you are probably a stranger orguest, people will use them with you.

Honorific nouns are used especially for food and parts of the body, andshow respect to the person whose food or body it is. Use the non-honorificterm when referring to your own food or body. However, you can use eitherterm when referring to someone else’s food or body. In other words, to saymy tea, say cha (non-honorific); but to say your tea, use the honorific solja,especially if you is a monk, elder or guest. Luckily, apart from solja, whichyou will certainly hear, it is possible to get by without knowing manyhonorific nouns.

The use of honorific verbs is common and indicates respect to the persondoing the verb: skyot, meaning come, shows respect towards the person whoshould come. Saying don, eat or drink, shows respect towards the personwho should eat or drink.

You will probably hear honorifics in the very common phrases above.Adding -le to the end of sentences shows respect to the person you’respeaking to, and is used frequently.

Insincere refusal (dzangs)Ladakhis consider it rude to accept any offer too quickly: it is polite to dodzangs, that is, to refuse once or twice before accepting. If you feel you arebeing urged to eat or drink more than you want, remember that it’s perfectlyfine to say no. In fact, it’s good manners to leave your butter tea or ch˙ang


untouched until someone comes to refill it. Sweet tea and hot milk are notusually refilled, so just drink it up.

Polluted foodWhen taking food from a serving dish, never, NEVER put a spoon—oranything else—from your mouth or your used plate back into the servingdish. The entire serving dish would then be polluted or k˙atet.

FeetAs in many Asian cultures, the feet are considered physically and spirituallyunclean, so you should be careful about where you put them. Don’t stepover books (especially books with Bodik or religious images); never stepover any kind of food or utensils (even dirty dishes); nor over any part ofsomeone’s body.

You will see Ladakhis reach down and move the objects or tap theperson to make a path rather than stepping over. Also try not to stretch outyour legs with the soles of your feet towards a person, the kitchen stove, oranything religious.

But don’t worry...Ladakhis are unlikely to take mortal offence if you make a mistake, and youmay even see them breaking these rules themselves. For example, someLadakhis know that foreigners don’t do dzangs so you run the risk of beingbelieved if you refuse an offer. Only stepping over food-related items andputting used spoons into the serving dish might nauseate your companions,and so can be considered really strict rules.

Note: While learning these phrases it would be a good time to start on thealphabet, which will help you understand pronunciation.




2 Forming sentencesVocabulary

Question words

n$- su who

t#- chi what

]f- nam when

e-c$- ka-ru where, to where

e-]n- ka-ne where, from where

gf- tsam how many, how much

t#z- chi-a why, for what

Personal pronouns

r- nga* I

i*-cr- nyerang you (singular, honorific)

w(- k˙o he or she

r-l- nga-zha we (not including the person you’respeaking to)

r-or- nga-tang we (including the person you’re speakingto)

i*-l- nye-zha you (plural, hon)

w(r- k˙ong 1 he or she (hon). 2 they

Adjectives

f- má- very (attached before adjectives, pronouncedwith a little stress)

‰Xv-v- (r)gyalla good

* This sound is common in English but not at the beginning of words. Refer to the

pronunciation guide at the front of the book for advice on how to pronounce ngawithout any hard g sound.

10 Forming sentences

d[*-f(- (l)demo nice, good, beautiful

l#f-a(- zhim-po delicious

h]-o*- ts˙an-te hot

eCr-f(- †ang-mo cold

dg·e-a(- (ß)tsok-po bad; dirty, spoiled; naughty

fr-a(- mang-po many, much

Adjectives usually go after the noun they modify. The sounds in bracketsabove may seem difficult at the beginning of words, but they are clearer withmá: mártsokpo very bad; máldemo, márgyalla very good.

Case endingsHere are three basic case endings: the possessive, the dative, and a thirdending which can be translated as from.

Possessive (of, ’s)

---z#- (or spelled by repeating the finalconsonant)

(...)-i

This ending can be translated into English as of or -’s: Its pronunciationvaries depending on the sound it follows.

Words ending in a consonant add -i (pronounced -e in some areas):w(r k˙ong they w(r-r#- k˙ong-i their

c#e-zj‹]- Rigzin (a name) c#e-zj‹]-]#- Rigzin-i Rigzin’s

d-;c- bazar market d-;c-c#- bazar-i of the market,store-bought

Words ending in a vowel add -i but change as follows:a+ i is pronounced eo+i is pronounced -oi or -eu+i is pronounced -ui or -ie and i are left unchanged.

r- nga I, me rz#- nge my

N´ç(v-f- Îolma (a name) N´ç(v-fz#- Îol-me Dolma’s

Forming sentences 11

w(- k˙o he, she w(z#- k˙oi his, her

[dr-f(- Angmo (a name) [dr-f(z#- Ang-me Angmo’s

n$- su who n$z#- sui whose

q^-b^- kushu apple q^-b^z#- ku-shi of apples

Dative (to, at, in, for)

---z- ---v- (...)-a or -la

This ending can usually be translated as to, at, or in. After r, s, n, and l it ispronounced -la; after m, ng, g/k, b/p, d/t or a vowel it is pronounced -a where itmay be spelled by repeating the preceding consonant. However, in songs orformal writing it may be -la any time.m*-f#n-v- Hemis-la to Hemis

d-;c-v- bazar-la to the market, in the market

rz#-x$v-v- nge yul-la to my country/village, in my...

w(z- k˙o-a to him/her

i*-cr-r- nyerang-a to you

From

---]n- (...)-ne

The ending meaning from is pronounced -ne in Leh and east through Tibet,while to the west it is pronounced -nas, reflecting its Tibetan spelling.d-;c-]n- bazar-ne

market-fromfrom the market

,f-c#-q-]n- Amríka-neUSA-from

from the USA

E√*-]n- Le-neLe-from

from Leh


Noun phrases with case endingsIf a noun has adjectives with it, put the ending only once, at the end of thewhole noun phrase. This is easier to remember if you think of the caseendings as separate words like of, at and from rather than as endings;however they can’t stand alone as words.yul mangpecountry many-of

of many countries/villagesx$v-fr-a(z#-

yul mangpo-acountry many -in

in many countriesx$v-fr-a(z-

yul mangpo-necountry many -from

from many countriesx$v-fr-a(-]n-

acho nyis-ibrother two-of

two elder brothers’,-t(-ei#n-n#-en(v-u-

acho nyis-labrother two-to

to two elder brothers,-t(-ei#n-v-

Possessives go before the noun they modify, while other adjectives go afterthe noun they modify:bazar-i chulimarket-of apricot

apricots of the market (i.e. not home-grown)d-;c-c#-t$-v#-

bazar-i chuli (r)gyallamarket-of apricot good

good apricots of the marketd-;c-c#-t$-v#-‰Xv-v-

acho nyis-i tagibrother two-of bread

two brothers’ bread,-t(-ei#n-n#-o-e#-

acho nyis-i tagi zhimpobrother two-of bread delicious

two brothers’ delicious bread,-t(-ei#n-n#-o-e#-l#f-a(-


Three words for ‘TO BE’Ladakhi doesn’t choose verb forms and endings on the basis of 1st, 2nd and3rd person as Indo-European languages do, but instead on the basis of howyou know what you’re saying. For example: Are you seeing it? Do you feelit? Is it general knowledge? In linguistics, this is called evidentiality.

Here are three of the five words for to be. Don’t try to make too manyparallels to English, but instead try to develop a sense for which verb fitswhich situation.

Duk, in, rak

z[ê- duk is, are, etc. Duk has many uses, including when English woulduse there is (…), there are (…), (…) is here, (…) are here.

x#]- in is, am, are, etc. In is used for describing things.

ce- rak is, am, are, etc. Rak is used for describing things you can feel,taste, smell or hear. Rak can also be translated I feel it is (…)

Forming sentences

• The verb always goes at the end of the sentence, and doesn’t change forsingular or plural.

• It’s very common to leave the subject out.

• Remember to add -le at the end of sentences: it shows respect to theperson you’re speaking to. Also, it is polite and quite normal to refer topeople by honorifics: nyerang you and k˙ong he or she, etc.

tagi dukbread is there

There’s bread.o-e#-z[ê

tagi mangpo dukbread much is there

There’s a lot of bread.o-e#-fr-a(-z[ê

Padma dukPadma is there

Padma is here.a[-f-z[ê


su duk?who is there

Who is there?n$-z[ê

nga Îolma in I Dolma am

I am Dolma.r-N´ç(v-f-x#]!

nyerang-i ming-a chi in? your name-to what is

What’s your name?i*-cr-r#-f#r-v-t#-x#]!

nge ming-a Îolma in my name-to Dolma is

My name is Dolma.rz#-f#r-v-N´ç(v-f-x#]!

nyerang ka -ne in? you where-from are

Where are you from?i*-cr-e-]n-x#]!

nga amríka-ne in I USA -from am

I’m from the USA.r-,f-c#-q-]n-x#]!

†angmo rak cold am/feel

It is cold; I feel cold.eCr-f(-ce

tagi zhimpo rakbread delicious is/tastes

The bread is delicious.o-e#-l#f-a(-ce

cha ma-ts˙ante rak tea very-hot is/ feel

The tea is very hot.u-f-h]-o*-ce

(r)gyalla rak good is/feel

(I feel) it’s good.‰Xv-v-ce


Negatives of duk, in and rak

f#-z[ê- mi-duk (also pronounced mi-ruk or mi-nuk)Is not, is not there, are not, are not there, is not here, are nothere, etc.

f]- man (also pronounced men)Am not, is not, are not, etc.

f#-ce- mi-rak (also pronounced mi-nak)Am not, is not, are not, etc. I don’t feel (…)

tagi mi-dukbread not-is

There’s no bread. / The bread isn’t here.o-e#-f#-z[ê

Padma mi-duk Padma not-is

Padma is not here.a[-f-f#-z[ê

nga Padma man, Norbu inI Padma am-not Norbu am

I’m not Padma, I’m Norbu.r-a[-f-f]! ](c-d$-x#]!

i(b)o nge manthis my isn’t

This isn’t mine.z#-d(-rz#-f]!

†angmo mi-rakcold not-am

I’m not cold. / I don’t feel cold.eCr-f(-f#-ce

cha ts˙ante mi-raktea hot not-is

The tea is not hot.u-h]-o*-f#-ce

(r)gyalla mi-rakgood not-is

(I feel) It’s not good.‰Xv-v-f#-ce


Questions with duk, in and rak

z[ê-e- du(g)-a? (usually sounds like du-a)Is it (…)? Is there (…)? Is (…) here? etc.

x#]-]- in-a? Is it (…)? Are you (…)? etc.

ce-e- rag-a? Is it (…)? Are you (…)?etc. Does it feel (…)?

❖ You can recognise ‘yes-or-no’ questions because they usually have -aat the end.

❖ Questions using question words like su, karu, kane, tsam, etc, do notneed the question form of the verb, ending in -a. The question wordalready makes the sentence a question.

❖ It is not necessary to say the subject of the answer. If you want toanswer yes to a question, say the affirmative (i.e. normal) form of theverb, and if you want to answer no, say the negative form of the verb.

tagi du(g)-a? bread is?

Is there any bread? o-e#-z[ê-e

mi-duk not-is

No. f#-z[ê

Padma du(g)-a? Padma is?

Is Padma here? a[-f-z[ê-e

duk is

Yes. z[ê

nyerang k˙amzang in-a - le? you well are?

Are you well? i*-cr-wfn-d;r-x#]-]-v*!

in -le or k˙amzang in -le am well am

Yes. or Yes, I am well. x#]-v*! wfn-d;r-x#]-v*!


nyerang padma in-a -le? you Padma are?

Are you Padma? i*-cr-a[-f-x#]-]-v*!

in -le am

Yes. x#]-v*!

†angmo rag-a? cold are?

Are you cold? (Do you feel cold?) eCr-f(-ce-e

mi -rak not-am

No. f#-ce

tagi zhimpo rag-a? bread delicious is?

Is the bread good? o-e#-l#f-a(-ce-e

rak is

Yes. ce

Conversational sentences Remember to add -le at the end of sentences now and then for respect.

k˙amzang in-a? well are?

Are you well? (= How are you?) wfn-d;r- x#]-]!

k˙amzang in well am

Yes, I’m well. wfn-d;r- x#]!

nyerang ka-ne in? you where-from are

Where are you from? i*-cr- e-]n- x#]!

nga (…) -ne in I (...) -from am

I’m from (…). r- (---) ]n- x#]!

nyerang-i minga chi in? your name what is

What is your name? i*-cr-r#- f#r-v- t#- x#]!

nge minga (…) in my name (...) is

My name is (...) rz#- f#r-v- (---) x#]!


ch˙u du(g)-a? water is?

Is there water? y$- z[ê-e

ch˙u duk water is

Yes, there is water. y$- z[ê

mi-duk not-is

No. f#-z[ê

Sonam du(g)-a ? Sonam is there?

Is Sonam there? dn([-]fn- z[ê-e

duk / mi-duk is / not-is

Yes. / No. z[ê- / f#-z[ê

t˙ukpa zhimpo rak thukpa delicious is

The thukpa is delicious. p%e-a- l#f-a(- ce

†angmo mi-rak cold not-is

I’m not cold. (I feel it isn’t cold) eCr-f(- f#-ce

má-†angmo rak very -cold is

It’s very cold. (I feel it’s cold.) f-eCr-f(- ce

su duk? who is

Who is there? n$- z[ê

k˙ong su in? (s)he who is

Who is s/he? w(r- n$- x#]!

chi in? what is

What is it? t#- x#]!

tsam in? how-much is

How much is it? gf- x#]!

Ladags má-ldemo duk Ladakh very-beautiful is

Ladakh is very nice/beautiful. v-[˚en-f-d[*-f(-z[ê

Note: After this chapter it would be a good time to learn the chapter Vowelsand Whole Syllables

3 Numbers

Learning the Ladakhi numbers is not as useful as you’d expect: everyoneseems to count in Hindi in the market! Of course, most shopkeepers in Lehare Tibetan or Indian, but many Ladakhis use the Hindi/Urdu numbers evenwhile speaking Ladakhi. In fact, I often hear trilingual sentences (e.g. saatmetre duk). Out in villages and monasteries this foreign influence is not ascommon.

LADAKHI HINDI/URDU ENGLISH

1 1 et#e- chik ek one

2 2 ei#n- nyis do two

3 3 en$f- sum tiin three

4 4 dl#- zhi chaar four

5 5 V®- (ß)nga paanch five

6 6 [}ê- †uk chhe six

7 7 d[^]- dun saat seven

8 8 d‰X[- (r)gyat aath eight

9 9 [e^- (r)gu nau nine

10 10 dt$- (ß)chu das ten

20 Numbers

+(k)shik +(k)nyis +(k)sum +(p)zhi

chu/cho+ chukshik 11 chuknyis 12 chuksum 13 chupzhi 14

nyi-shu-tsa+ nyishu-tsakshik 21

nyishu-tsaknyis 22

nyishu-tsaksum 23

nyishu-tsapzhi24

sum-chu-so+ sumchu-sokshik 31

sumchu-soknyis 32

sumchu-soksum 33

sumchu-sopzhi34

zhipchu-zha+ zhipchu-zhakshik 41

zhipchu-zhaknyis 42

zhipchu-zhaksum 43

zhipchu-zhapzhi 44

ngapchu-nga+ ngapchu-ngakshik 51

ngapchu-ngaknyis 52

ngapchu-ngaksum 53

ngapchu-ngapzhi 54

†uk-chu-ra+ †uk-chu-rakshik 61

†ukchu-raknyis 62

†ukchu-raksum63

†ukchu-rapzhi 64

dun-chu-don+ dun-chu-don-chik 71

dun-chu-don-nyis 72

dun-chu-don-sum 73

dunchu-don-zhi 74

gyat-chu-gya+ gyatchu-gyakshik 81

gyatchu-gyaknyis 82

gyatchu-gyaksum 83

gyatchu-gyapzhi 84

gupchu-go+ gupchu-gokshik 91

gupchu-goknyis 92

gupchu-goksum 93

gupchu-gopzhi94

The numbers above 10 follow a simple pattern: ten-one for eleven, two-tenfor twenty, etc. There are just two things to learn about the pattern.

❖ For the twenties, thirties, forties, etc., each has its own special syllable

between the parts: in the 20s it’s tsa, in the 30s so, 40s zha , 50s nga, 60sra, 70s don, 80s gya, and 90s go.

sum-chu-so-nga †uk-chu-ra-nga 3 10 (&) 5 = 35 6 10 (&) 5 = 65

Numbers 21

+nga

+ruk +(p)dun +(p)gyat +(r)gu

chonga 15 churuk 16 chupdun 17 chopgyat 18 churgu 19

nyishu-tsanga 25

nyishu-tsaruk26

nyishu-tsapdun27

nyishu-tsapgyat 28

nyishu-tsargu 29

sumchu-songa35

sumchu-soruk36

sumchu-sopdun 37

sumchu-sopgyat 38

sumchu-sorgu39

zhipchu-zhanga45

zhipchu-zharuk46

zhipchu-zhapdun 47

zhipchu-zhapgyat 48

zhipchu-zhargu49

ngapchu-nganga 55

ngapchu-ngaruk 56

ngapchu-ngapdun 57

ngapchu-ngapgyat 58

ngapchu-ngargu 59

†ukchu-ranga 65

†ukchu-raruk 66

†ukchu-rapdun67

†ukchu-rapgyat 68

†ukchu-rargu 69

dunchu-don-nga 75

dunchu-don-ruk 76

dunchu-don-dun 77

dunchu-don-gyat 78

dunchu-don-gu 79

gyatchu-gyanga85

gyatchu-gyaruk 86

gyatchu-gyapdun 87

gyatchu-gyapgyat 88

gyatchu-gyargu 89

gupchu-gonga 95

gupchu-goruk 96

gupchu-gopdun 97

gupchu-gopgyat 98

gupchu-gorgu99

❖ In these combined numbers you will hear little sounds which are

normally silent letters. For example, chik, nyis and sum are all spelledwith a prefix letter which is only pronounced when they are combinedinto longer words. However, note that the don of the 70s outweighs theprefix letter.

There are a couple of places where the pronunciation has relaxed over thecenturies: chik one is pronounced shig in combinations; †uk six is pronouncedruk in combinations; and twenty is nyishu instead of the nyis-chu you’d expect.

22 Numbers

d‰X- (r)gya 100 One hundred (Hindi sau / so)

i#-d‰X- nyip-gya 200 Two hundred (dosau / doso)

Nø(r-et#e- stong chik 1000 One thousand (hazaar)

„#-et#e- †˙i chik 10,000 Ten thousand (das hazaar)

zd$f-et#e- bum chik 100,000 Hundred thousand (lakh)

n-x-et#e- saya chik 1,000,000 One million (das lakh)

dX*-d-et#e- chewa chik 10,000,000 Ten million (karor)

There is a silent letter before chu (10) and gya (100) which comes out as pafter a vowel, so 40=zhipchu, 50= ngapchu, and 90=gupchu. Similarly,200=nyipgya, 400=zhipgya, 500=ngapgya, and 900=gupgya.

Use nang and in higher numbers:

123 gya nang nyishu-tsaksum 347 sum-gya nang zhipchu-zhapdun 1998 stong chik nang gupgya gupchu-gopgyat 8,442 stong rgyat nang zhipgya zhipchu- zhaknyis

Numbers 23

Number-related words

et#e-et#e- chik-chik only one; one and the same

et#e-a(- chikpo alone

sX*[- p˙et half

There’s no Ladakhi word for zero: just use a negative verb. Use the following patterns for any number:

[r-a( et#e-a- tangpo or chikpa first

ei#n-a- nyis-pa second

en$f-a- sum-pa third

dl#-a- zhi-pa fourth

ei#n-q- nyis-ka both; two together

en$f-q- sum-ka all three together

dl#-q- zhi-ka all four

4 Present tense

Vocabulary

Verbs STEM+ches* is considered the basic form of the verb and dictionaries givethis form. Ladakhis don’t use honorifics all the time, but you will frequentlyhear these most common verbs:

HONORIFIC NON-HONORIFIC

dNœ≈([-dX*n- skyot-ches{ y-dX*n- x(r-dX*n-

ch˙a-ches to go

yong-ches to come

z[(]-dX*n- don-ches { ;-dX*n- zp%r-dX*n-

za-ches to eat

t˙ung-ches to drink

dlên-dX*n- zhuks-shes z[ê-dX*n- duk-ches to sit or stay

fj[-dX*n- dzad-ches dX(-dX*n- cho-ches to do, to make

nv-dX*n- sal-ches eor-dX*n- tang-ches to give

Present tense of verbs using -at ending Verb endings are attached to the verb stem, which you find by taking awaythe ending -ches or -shes. For present tense, add -at to the stem. (In the Bodikspelling, this is done by repeating the final consonant, or connecting with theletter a.)

The negative ending is -a-met, and the question ending is -ad-a. Note thatas usual, the negative has m in it and the question is just the normal formplus -a.

This tense can be used for either I am drinking tea or I drink tea. It canalso be used for the future, just like English We’re leaving tomorrow.

* When attached to a stem ending in -s (such as zhuks to sit or stay), the -ches is

pronounced -shes. The s is not heard before the sh sound, but I kept it in tomake the verb stem (i.e. zhuks-) clear.

Present tense 25

Ladakhi verbs do not change for 1st, 2nd and 3rd person like Hindi orEuropean languages. Thus the literal translation of a word like t˙ung-a t can beused for any person, though it is most often used for 1st person andquestions to be answered in the 1st person. p%r-r[- ;z[- yz[- z[ê-e[-

t˙ung-a t

za-at

ch˙a-at

dug-at

I drink.

I eat.

I go.

I stay.

p%r-r-f*[- ;z-f*[- yz-f*[- z[ê-e-f*[-

t˙ung-amet

za-amet

ch˙a-amet

dug-amet

I don’t drink.

I don’t eat.

I’m not going.

I’m not staying.

p%r-r[-[- ;z[-[- yz[-[- z[ê-e[-[-

t˙ung-ad-a?

za-ad-a?

ch˙a-ad-a?

dug-ad-a?

Do you drink?

Do you eat?

Do you go?

Do you stay?

Making sentences Verbs go at the end of the sentence. The subject is usually first if you say itat all, but almost everything else seems to be in the opposite order fromEnglish. (Subject) + Object + Verb. The best way to learn how sentences arestructured is by learning examples: nga Le-a ch˙a-at I Leh-to go

I’m going to Leh. r- E√*z- yz[!

nga Le-a ch˙a-amet I Leh-to go-not

I’m not going to Leh. r- E√*z- yz-f*[!

Le-a dug-at Leh-in stay

(I) stay in Leh. E√*z-z[ê-e[!

aba-le Le-a zhuks-amet father Leh-in stay-not-(hon)

My father doesn’t stay in Leh. ,-d-v*- E√*z- dlên-n-f*[!

26 Present tense

sha za-amet meat eat-not

(I) don’t eat meat. b- ;z-f*[!

Questions You’ll find that in conversation, questions often use honorifics because youis doing the action: nyerang ka ru skyod-at? Where are you going? However,the answer uses the non-honorific because I is doing the action: nga Le-a ch˙a-at I’m going to Leh.

If you use a question word like su, karu, kane, chi, etc, then don’t add -a tothe verb, because it’s already a question. Add -a to the verb only for yes-or-no questions. nyerang ka(ru) skyod-at? you where go (hon)

Where are you going? i*-cr- e-c$- dNœ≈([-[[!

nga Le-a ch˙a-at I Leh-to go (non-hon)

I’m going to Leh. r- E√*z- yz[!

Le-a skyod-ada? Leh-to go?

Are you going to Leh? E√*z- dNœ≈([-[[-[!

ch˙a-at go

(Yes, I) am going. yz[!

ch˙a-amet go-not

(No, I) am not going. yz-f*[!

karu zhuks-at? where stay (hon)

Where are you staying? e-c$- dlên-n[!

nga Hemis-la dug-at I Hemis-at stay (non-hon)

I’m staying at Hemis. r- m*-f#n-v- z[ê-e[!

chi dzad-at? what do (hon)

What are (you) doing? t#- fj[-[[!

Present tense 27

Conversation in a bus nyerang karu skyod-at -le? you where go

Where are you going? i*-cr-e-c$-dNœ≈([-[[-v*!

nga Alchi-a ch˙a-at -le I Alchi-to go

I’m going to Alchi. r-,v-t#z-yz[-v*!

Alchi-a zhuks-ad-a? Alchi-in stay?

Are (you) staying in Alchi? ,v-t#z-dlên-n[-[!

Alchi-a dug-amet Alchi-in stay-not

No, (I’m) not staying in Alchi. ,v-t#z-z[ê-e-f*[!

Saspol-a dug-at Saspol-in stay

(I’m) staying in Saspol. n-[a(v-v-z[ê-e[!

Alchi-a chi-a skyod-at? Alchi-to why go

Why are (you) going to Alchi? ,v-t#z-t#z-dNœ≈([-[[!

gonpa jal-at gonpa visit (hon)

(I’m) visiting the gonpa. [e(]-a-fuv-v[!

nyerang ka -ne in? you where-from are

Where are you from? i*-cr-e-]n-x#]!

Germany-ne in Germany-from are

(I’m) from Germany. uc-f-]#-]n-x#]!

nyerang Alchi-ne in-a? you Alchi-from are?

Are you from Alchi? i*-cr-,v-t#-]n-x#]-]!

Alchi-ne man Alchi-from am-not

(I’m) not from Alchi. ,v-t#-]n-f]!

Choglamsar-ne in Choglamsar-from am

(I’m) from Choglamsar. y(e-vf-nc-]n-x#]!

Pot-pa in-a? Tibetan are?

Are (you) a Tibetan? d([-a-x#]-]!

man, Ladaks-pa in no, Ladakhi am

No, (I’m) a Ladakhi. f]-v-[˚en-a-x#]!

28 Present tense

Alchi-a chi dzad-at? Alchi-in what do

What do (you) do in Alchi? ,v-t#z-t#-fj[-[[!

Alchi-a gergan in Alchi-in teacher am

(I) am a teacher in Alchi. ,v-t#z-[e*-›]-x#]!

ya ta Alchi-a lep oh now Alchi-in arrive

Oh, now (we’ve) arrived at Alchi. x-[-,v-t#z-N√*dn!

nyerang ka-lam-ne skyodat? you which-road-from go

Which way are (you) going? i*-cr-e-vf-]n-dNœ≈([-[[!

nga i-ne ch˙a-at I from-here go

I’m going this way. (lit from here) r-z#-]n-yz[!

ya ju-le! okay ju-le

Okay, ju-le! x-zu$-v*!

ju-le! ju-le

Ju-le! zu$-v*!

Note: While learning this chapter it would be a good time to learnCombined Letters.

5 All five words for ‘TO BE’ In Chapter 2 you learned three words for to be. There are two more, yot andinok, for a total of five.

Yot x([- yot Is, am are; there is, there are; has, have

f*[- met It isn’t; there isn’t, there aren’t; I don’t have ...

x([-[- yod-a? Is it? Are there? Is there? Do you have ... ?

Yot as TO BE (Yot vs duk) Much of the time, yot means there is, like duk. Both are used to indicate thepresence or location of something or someone, but yot is used for things thatare more permanent or general, and for things the speaker already knowswell or intimately; while duk is used for things that are more temporarilythere or not there, or that the speaker has just seen to be there or not there.

Angchuk du(g)-a? Is Wangchuk there?

[dr-sXê-z[ê-e yot He’s here. (Yot if you know without having to look.)

x([! met He’s not there. (Met if you already know he’s out.)

f*[! duk He’s there. (Duk if you have to look and see.)

z[ê miduk He’s not there. (Miduk if you look and see he’s not there.)

f#-z[ê EXAMPLES: nge yul-la mi mangpo yot my country-in people many are

There are many people in my country. (I know it well and it’s my own country.) rz#-x$v-v-f#-fr-a(-x([!

30 All five words for TO BE

bazar-la mi mangpo duk market-in people many are

There are many people in the market. (I just looked.) d-;c-v-f#-fr-a(-z[ê

ch˙u duk water is

There’s water. (I just looked.) y$-z[ê

ch˙u yot water is

There’s water. (I know there is.) y$-x([!

Yot as to have Yot is used in sentences where English would use has or have. Suchsentences work like this: nga-a mingbo nyis yot To me there are two brothers. nga-a a -che sum yot me-to sister three are

I have three elder sisters. rz-,-t*-en$f-x([!

k˙o-a a -che nyis yot him-to sister two are

S/he has two elder sisters. w(z-,-t*-ei#n-x([!

nyerang-a acho yod-a you-to brothers are?

Do you have any elder brothers? i*-cr-r-,-t(-x([-[!

nga-a acho met me-to brothers aren’t

I don’t have any elder brothers. rz-,-t(-f*[!

mar yod-a-le? butter is?

Is there butter? / Do you have butter? fc-x([-[-v*!

met-le isn’t

No. f*[-v*!

te-ne k˙ara yod-a-le? then sugar have?

Then, do you have sugar? [*-]n-w-c-x([-[-v*!

yot have

Yes. x([!

Inok x#]-](e- inok Is, are, etc.

f]-](e- manok isn’t, aren’t, etc.

All five words for TOBE 31

x#]-](e-e- ino(g)-a? Is it? Are they? etc

Inok overlaps with in. Both are used for describing, but in is more often forfirst person and things the speaker knows intimately. In can be used to talkabout your own things or family, etc., not just yourself, while you should useinok if you’re talking about something not yours, general statements,common knowledge, etc.

i(b)o chi inok? this what is

What is this? z#-d(-t#-x#]-](e

chuli inok apricot is

It’s an apricot. t$-v#-x#]-](e

k˙ong su inok? s/he who is

Who is that? w(r-n$-x#]-](e

Angmo inok Angmo is

That’s Angmo. [dr-f(-x#]-](e

nge a -che in my sister is

She’s my sister. (in because she’s mine) rz#-,-t*-x#]!

Stobdan-i a-che inok Stobdan’s sister is

She’s Stobdan’s sister. (inok because she’s not mine) Nø(d-V“]-]#-,-t*-x#]-](e

i-k˙angpa su-i inok? this-house whose is

Whose house is this? z#-wr-a-n$z#-x#]-](e

i-bas-bo karu-a inok? this-bus-the where-to is

Where does this bus go? z#-dn-d(-e-c$z-x#]-](e

Chang-t˙ang ma-†angmo inok Changthang very-cold is

Changthang is very cold. dXr-pr-f-eCr-f(-x#]-](e

Overview of the five words for TO BE

These really aren’t more complicated than English, just different: in place ofeach of these words, English chooses between am, are, is, has, have, andfeels, tastes, looks, etc.

Generally, yot and in are often first person or intimately or alreadyknown, while duk and inok are more external and often third person. Using


duk means you’ve recently or just now seen the thing, while yot means youalready knew about it before.

Rak is limited to describing things felt, sensed, tasted, smelled, touchedor heard. However, duk is also used to describe things by sight, the way rak isused for perceptions of the other senses and emotions.

DESCRIBING EXISTENCE, PRESENCE &LOCATION

in describing yourself and yourown things.

inok describing general facts, external

things not your own, etc. rak describing things on the basis of

feeling, smell, taste, touch orhearing.

duk describing things on the basis of

sight.

yot saying something exists or whereit is, if you already know.

duk saying something exists or where

it is, if you just found out or saw.

[dr-f(-z[ê Angmo duk. There’s Angmo. (I just saw her.)

[dr-f(-x([- Angmo yot. Angmo is here. (I already know she’s here.)

[dr-f(-x#]- Angmo in. I’m Angmo.

[dr-f(-x#]-](e Angmo inok. That’s Angmo.

[dr-f(-ce Angmo rak. I can hear Angmo.

Note that in Ladakhi, questions are asked in the verb form you expect theanswerer to use. t#-z[ê chi duk? What do you see? or What is there? (I expect you to

have just seen.) t#-x([- chi yot? What do you have? or What is there? (I expect you to

know already.)

All five words for TOBE 33

t#-x#]- chi in? What are you? (Might be a strange question, but itcould also mean: What is it, this thing of yours?)

t#-x#]-](e chi inok? What is that?

t#-ce chi rak? What do you feel? (Common phrase for What’swrong?)

Conversation: Buying things So few of the shops in Leh are Ladakhi-owned that you may have difficultypractising Ladakhi there. The vegetable sellers along the main bazaar areLadakhi, and so are the people who sell dried apricots and ch˙ur-pe as youmove down towards the bus-stand. However, they may keep speaking Hindito you, even if you tell them Hindi mi-shes I don’t know Hindi!

chuli ka-ne k˙yongste inok? apricots where-from brought are

Where are the apricots from? t$-v#-e-]n-∑(rn-o*-x#]-](e

Sham-ne k˙yongste inok Sham-from brought are

They’re from Sham. ebf-]n-∑(rn-o*-x#]-](e

i(b)o chi inok? this what is

What is this? z#-d(-t#-x#]-](e

(ß)tsigu inok. (r)gyalla inok. don! apricot-nuts are good are eat!

It’s apricot nuts. It’s good. Eat! Ì‹-e^-x#]-](e-‰Xv-v-x#]-](e z[(]!

zhimpo rak delicious I-feel-it-is

It tastes good. l#f-a(-ce

p˙ating yod-a? phating is-there?

Do you have phating? s-o#r-x([-[!

yot is

Yes. x([!

p˙ating-a rin tsam inok? phating-for price how-much is

How much is phating? s-o#r-r-c#]-gf-x#]-](e

pao-a kirmo sumchu 250g-for Rs. thirty

30 rupees for 250 grams. az(-z-e#c-f(-en$f-dt$-x#]-](e


rin mangpo manog-a? price much isn’t?

Isn’t that a high price? c#]-fr-a(-f]-](e-e

mangpo manok! much isn’t

No it’s not much! fr-a(-f]-](e

pao chig sal-le 250g one give

Please give me 250 grams. az(-t#e-nv!

shugu meda? paper don’t-you-have?

Don’t you have a bag? b^-e^-f*[-[!

met no

No. f*[!

∂ik, i-ne yot okay, here there-is

It’s okay; I’ve got one. zeC#e! z#-]n-x([!

ya ∂ik, ju-le yes okay ju-le

Yes, okay. Ju-le! x-zeC#e-zu$-v*!

ju-le! ju-le

Ju-le! zu$-v*!

6 Past tense and verb types

Ladakhi verbs fall into different categories that behave differently in theirgrammar. First, there are the five to be verbs. Then there are all the otherverbs, which have a stem plus an ending. There are two ways of dividingthese verbs, resulting in four categories, which have different endings ontheir subjects, and on the verb itself (mainly in the past tense, which is whyit comes up at this point).

Active/Inactive The first way of dividing Ladakhi verbs is between active verbs—where thesubject actively or intentionally does the action—and inactive verbs, whichjust happen without the subject making any effort.

For example, borches to put or keep is active, while storches to lose isinactive. Skol-ches to boil is active (a person does it), while k˙ol-ches to boilis inactive (the water does it). Lta-ches to watch is active (you actively lookat something), while t˙ong-ches to see is inactive (something is visible toyou).

Occasionally it’s not easy to see why one verb is active and another isinactive: lep-ches to arrive follows the grammar of inactive verbs, while yong-ches to come follows the pattern of active verbs.

Transitive/Intransitive The second way of dividing verbs is between transitive and intransitiveverbs.

Transitive means the verb can have a direct object, i.e. somebody doesthe action to somebody or something else: I’m eating rice. (Rice is the objectof the verb eating, so eat is transitive.) They watched a movie. (Movie is theobject of watched, so watch is transitive.) They saw the accident. (Accidentis the object of saw, so see is transitive.) He knocked over the lamp. (Lamp isthe object of knocked over, so knock over is transitive.)

Verbs without an object are called intransitive: He arrived yesterday.(The verb arrive can’t have an object since nobody can arrive somethingelse, so arrive is intransitive.) The lamp fell over . (The verb fell over can’thave an object since nobody can fall something over, so fall over isintransitive.)


Some examples of the four types of verbs:

TRANSITIVE +ACTIVE t˙ungches to drink donches to eat or drink (hon) choches to do tangches to give †˙uches to wash skolches to boil, to cook k˙yongches to bring (l)taches to watch zaches to eat nyoches to buy lapches to teach or study

INTRANSITIVE +ACTIVE yongches to come ch˙aches to go skyotches to come or go (hon) dukches to sit or stay zhukshes to sit or stay (hon) langshes to stand up, get up ∂ulches to walk or move nguches to cry, weep (r)gotches to laugh babshes to go down, descend

TRANSITIVE +INACTIVE goshes to want storches to lose t˙ongches to see; to be visible t˙opches to find, obtain, get t˙ukches to meet sheshes to know ha goches to understand lopshes to learn ßho yongches to get angry

INTRANSITIVE +INACTIVE lepches to arrive ngalches to get tired (l)tokshes to be hungry ∂ikches to be okay, enough shiches to die k˙olches to boil ts˙arches to be finished sunches to be bored, lonely, etc. ∂angshes to feel full gorches to be late ∂upches to be finished

Past tense and verb types 37

Subjects and objects of verbs In Ladakhi, the object of a transitive verb has no special ending, while thesubject usually has a special ending.

With transitive active verbs (like choches to do) the ending on the subjectsounds like the possessive: -i or -e.

Nge cho-at I do it. Ngatangi cho-at We do it. Nyerangi las cho-ad-a? Do you work? Nyerangi chang za-a-med-a? Aren’t you eating anything? Nge chang za-a-med. I’m not eating anything.

With transitive inactive verbs (like goshes to want ), the subject has the dativeending, like to him: -a or - la,

Ngatang-a Ladaksi spera shes-at We know Ladakhi. Nyerang-a ch˙u gos-ad-a? Do you want water? Nga-a chang gos-a-met. I don’t want anything.

With intransitive verbs (both active and inactive), the subject has no specialending, and by definition intransitive verbs have no object.

Nga yong-at I’m coming. Nyerang karu skyodat? Where are you going? Nyerang (r)god-ad-a? Are you laughing? Nga (r)god-a-met. I’m not laughing. Ngazha sun-amet. We don’t get bored.


Transitive Verbs No ending on the object; the subject has special endings.

ACTIVE + TRANSITIVE Past tense can have -s and -pin. Subject ending sounds like the possessive.

Nge stanmo-a (l)tas-pin. I watched the show. A-me k˙ar ji chos. Mother made food. Su-i tangs? Who gave (it)? K˙ong-i nga-a tagi sals. They gave me bread. K˙arji k˙yongs-pin-a? Did (you) bring food? Ma-k˙yongs-pin. No, (I) didn’t bring (it). Nge ch˙u k˙yong-at. I’m bringing water. K˙oi las cho-at. S/he works.

INACTIVE + TRANSITIVE Past tense is just the verb stem itself. The subject has -a ending.

Nga-a stanmo t˙ong. I saw the show. Nga-a kulik stor. I lost the key. K˙ong-a t˙op. He found (it). Angmo-a k˙o t˙ong. Angmo saw (him/her/it). Nga-a gos-at. I want (it). Nyerang-a ha go-a? Did you understand? Ha go. I understood. Ha ma-go. (I) didn’t understand. K˙o-a ladagsi spera shes-amet. He doesn’t know Ladakhi. Nga-a shes-at. I know (it).

Past tense and verb types 39

Intransitive Verbs No ending on the subject. By definition there is no object.

ACTIVE + INTRANSITIVE Past tense can have -s and -pin

Karu skyotpin? Where did (you) go? Le-a song-pin. (I) went to Leh. Zhugs-pin-a? Did (you) stay? Dugs-pin. (Yes, I) stayed. K˙o dering yongs. He came today. Dang yongs-pin. (I) came yesterday. Nga t˙ore yong-at. I’m coming tomorrow. Nyerang karu zhuks-at? Where are you staying?

INACTIVE + INTRANSITIVE Past tense is just the verb stem itself.

Dang leb-a? Did (you) arrive yesterday? Nyerang nam lep? When did you arrive? Dang lep. (I) arrived yesterday. K˙ong nam lep? When did s/he/they arrive? Ngal-a? Did (you) get tired? Ma-ngal. (No, I) didn’t get tired. Íhante (l)toks. (I) got very hungry. Îig-a? literally Was it okay? but used as Is it okay? Îik. It was okay; it is okay.


Past tense In order to form the past tense, the first step is to find the PAST STEM. Thesimplest past tense is the past stem alone, but endings can also be added to it.

For inactive verbs, the past stem is the same as the present stem (i.e. justremove -ches or -shes), and it can be used as the past tense. For example, K˙o-a t˙ong S/he saw. Angmo lep Angmo arrived.

Active verbs form the past stem by adding -s to the present stem. Thepronunciation of the s is variable after l, t, n, and r, where s is not allowed byclassical spelling rules. The past stem by itself is used as the past tense onlyfor 2nd and 3rd persons. For example, t˙ungs you/he/she/it/they drank; yongsyou/he/she/it/they came . For 1st person (and questions to be answered in 1stperson), use PAST STEM+pin. For example, T˙ungspin I drank. T˙ungspin-a Didyou drink? Yongspin I came. Yongspin-a? Did you come?

There are only two irregular past stems, and both are active: ch˙a-ches to go becomes song he/she/they went or song-pin I/we went za-ches to eat becomes zos he/she/they ate or zos-pin I/we ate

Generally in Ladakhi the subject and/or object should be left unsaid if theyare obvious from context.

Questions are simply PAST+a, and negatives are ma+PAST. The actualverb stem is only one syllable, so two-part verbs like spera tangches and hagoches (ha being a ‘word’ used only with goches) form the negative past likethis: spera ma-tangs and ha ma-go.

Tear your hair... Tragically for us learners, each region has slight differences in these rules.For example, Shammas pronounce the -s on the active transitive subject(reflecting the proper Tibetan spelling) so it doesn’t sound like thepossessive: k˙os, ngas, sus, etc., instead of k˙oe, nge, sui, etc. In Changthangand Zangskar, on the other hand, they don’t even pronounce the s in the paststems, but may change the vowel instead. In Nubra there is not such a bigdifference between active and inactive verbs.

Classical Tibetan had this pattern of transitive and intransitive subjects athousand years ago, and so do most modern varieties of Tibetan andLadakhi. In linguistics, languages with this pattern are called ‘ergative’.

7 Commands

As seen in the first conversation chapter, many verbs can be made intocommands by saying the verb stem alone: skyot! zhuks! yong! solja don!t˙ukpa sal!

❖ Verb stems ending in a vowel add -s. For example, cho-ches to dobecomes chos! do!

❖ Non-honorific verb stems with the vowel -a- in them change the vowelto -o-. For example: langs-shes to get up becomes longs! get up! andtang-ches to give becomes tong! give! But sal-ches to give remains sal!please give! because it’s honorific.

❖ Inactive verbs are not usually made into commands.

❖ There are two irregular commands: za -ches to eat becomes zo! eat! andch˙a-ches to go becomes song! go!

❖ For the negative simply say ma+PRESENT STEM : ma-skyot don’t go! ma-zhuks don’t sit! ma-yong don’t come! m a -sal don’t give! Use theoriginal unchanged present stem: ma-cho don’t do! ma-tang don’t give!ma-za don’t eat! ma-ch˙a don’t go!

❖ The plural command has -shik: Skyot-shik Please come in (spoken tomore than one person). Ma-skyot-shik Please don’t go.

x(r- yong come! f-x(r- ma-yong don’t come!

Nœ≈([- skyot come/go! (hon) f-Nœ≈([- ma-skyot don’t come/go! (hon)

;(- zo eat! f-;- ma-za don’t eat!

n(r- song go! f-y- ma-ch˙a don’t go!

dX(n- chos do! f-dX(- ma-cho don’t do!

o(r- tong give! f-or- ma-tang don’t give!

nv- sal give! (hon) f-nv- ma-sal don’t give! (hon)

42 Commands

Variations on the basic command

❖ COMMAND+ang is firmer than the simple command.

Skyod-ang!

Come in! (Firmer than skyot alone.) Nœ≈([-[r-!

Don-ang!

Please eat. (Insisting: Don’t argue, just eat.) z[(]-]r-!

So(ng)-ang!

Go! (Rude, like Get lost! ) n(r-rr-!

(L)tos-ang!

Look! or Watch out! Vø(n-nr-!

❖ Adding -hey to a command (or any other sentence) emphasises it in afriendly or cajoling way. Also, ju-hey is a more informal good-bye thanju-le.

Don-hey!

Please eat. (Go on, have some!) z[(]-m*!

Yi-ge ∂is-hey! letter write

Write a letter, okay? x#-e-zdC#n-m*!

❖ Adding ju-ju to a command sounds insistent but in a friendly way, oftentranslatable as Please!

Chos-ang, ju-ju

Do it! (Please don’t forget/refuse again.) dX(n-nr-zu$-zu$!

Ladagsi nanga mol, ju-ju

Please say it in Ladakhi (insisting, pleading) v-[˚en-n#-]r-r-f(v-zu$-zu$!

Commands 43

❖ PRESENT-STEM+a-dzatDzat is the honorific for to do and can be added to any verb stem forextra respect. It is rather formal and is especially used betweenstrangers or in public notices or speeches.

Íhing-a-dzat

Please wait. nC#r-r-fj[!

Sal-a-dzat

Give. (This is even more respectful than sal.) nv-v-fj[!

❖ When you are out walking, people may say skyod-de to you, which isnot telling you to get lost, but rather to go well. It’s a pleasant good-byeto someone who is leaving, and similarly zhuks-se can be said whenleaving someone who is staying put.

❖ If you’re asking for something, instead of sal or sal-ang, you might want

to use t ob-in-a, which means roughly Would I find? or Can I get?ch˙u †onmo t˙ob-ina - le?water warm get-will?

Can I get hot water?y$-[}(]-f(-p(d-d#]-]-v*!

8 Additional grammar

I hope this book has helped you grasp the basics of Ladakhi. After gettingstarted, you can progress with the help of the people around you. Here aresome other common and useful grammar structures to assist you as youmove forward on your own, but beware of regional variations.

Verb formsAll the TO BE words can be used as verb endings. (The ending -at is actually aform of yot.) As with the TO BE words, the distinctions between the variousverb endings are based on evidentiality, which means the choice of verbendings doesn’t follow Indo-European divisions of 1st, 2nd and 3rd person,but instead reflects how the speaker knows the verb happened or ishappening. In many cases, more than one option is correct.

Note that any verb form can be made into a yes-or-no question by adding-a, even to the negative. And keep in mind that the subject and/or object areleft unsaid if they are obvious from the context.

The five TO BE words are different from normal verbs, and don’t takemany endings. Rak and inok don’t usually take endings, so if you need to addan ending to these (such as -∂o for probably or -na for if), rak becomes yotand inok becomes in.

STEM+duk (Present tense for seen information)This is a present tense ending, usually 3rd person. The difference between-at and -duk as verb endings is similar to that between the words yot and dukthemselves: STEM+at is vaguely first person or for things already known;STEM+duk is for things seen, or things just found out. After a vowel, thepronunciation of -duk changes to -ruk.i(b)o ∂ul-a-mirukthis work-doesn’t

This doesn’t work.(If you just saw that it doesn’t work.)z#-d(-zeC^v-v-f#-z[ê

i(b)o ∂ul-a-metthis work-doesn’t

This doesn’t work.(If you knew it already)z#-d(-zeC^v-v-f*[!

Additional grammar 45

k˙o ch˙a-ruks/he goes

S/he is going.(When you can see him or her going)w(-y-z[ê

Ladaksi spera shesLadakhi language knows

S/he knows Ladakhi! (What people willwhisper to each other all around you)v-[˚en-n#-[a*-c-b*n-z[ê

This is also the present ending for t˙ongches, which is easier to remember ifyou think of it as to be visible or to look good or bad, instead of to see.a- mi-bo t˙ong-dug-a?that person-the visible-is?

Do you see that person over there?z-f#-d(-fp(r-z[ê-e

nga-a t˙ong-a-mirukme-to visible-isn’t

No, I don’t (see).rz-fp(r-r-f#-z[ê

demo t˙ong-dukbeautiful looks

Looks good.d[*-f(-fp(r-z[ê

STEM+a-rak (Present tense for things sensed)This ending can be used for the present tense for things you feel, sense,smell, or hear happening.(l)toks-a -rakhungry-feel-am

I’m hungry. (I feel hungry)Vø(en-n-ce

skat-zhig yong-a-rak sound-a come-feel

There’s a noise. (I hear it)Nœ[-l#e-x(r-r-ce

lu tang-a-raksong give-hear

Someone is singing. (I hear them)E√^-eor-r-ce

ch˙arpa tang-a-rakrain give-hear

It’s raining. (I feel it)yc-a-eor-r-ce

Ts or-a-rak (Likes and dislikes)Here’s a useful pattern for stating your likes and dislikes. Literally, ts˙or-a-rakmeans I feel that it is...(chuli) zhimpo ts˙or-a-rak(apricots) delicious I-feel-that-it-is

I like (apricots).(t$-v#-)l#f-a(-h·c-c-ce


(---) (r)gyalla ts˙or-a-rak (---) good I-feel-that-it-is

I like (---).-----‰Xv-v-h·c-c-ce

(---) (r)gyalla ts˙or-a-mirak (---) good I-feel-that-it-isn’t

I don’t like (---).-----‰Xv-v-h·c-c-f#-ce

(---) kakspo ts˙or-a-rak (---) difficult I-feel-that-it-is

I find (---) difficult.-----[qen-a(-h·c-c-ce

STEM+anok (General statements in present/future)This ending can be used for 3rd person present or future, and indicates thatthe action happens regularly, generally or reliably. It sounds authoritative.k˙o yong-anoks/he come-will

S/he will come.w(-x(r-r-](e

bas yong-a-manokbus come-won’t

The bus won’t come.dn-x(r-r-f-](e

book kazuga ze r-anokbook how say-will

How do you say book?book-z-e-;$-e-;*c-c-](e

Losar rgun-la yong-anokLosar winter-in come-will

Losar comes in winter.v(-enc-[e^]-v-x(r-r-](e

ngazhe yul-la-ang k˙a tang-anokour country-in-also snow give-will

It also snows in my country.r-lz#-x$v-vzr-w-dor-r-](e

Dilli-a tang-a-manokDelhi-in give-will

It doesn’t (snow) in Delhi[#v-v#z-dor-r-f]-](e

STEM+in (Present & future)The negative is mi+STEM. This is often used for 1st person future with activeverbs, though the ending -at is also common for the future. With inactiveverbs this form isn’t necessarily future or 1st person.t˙o-re jal-in!tomorrow see-will

I’ll see you tomorrow! (hon)p(-cn-fuv-x#]!

ngé †˙u-in!I wash-will

I’ll wash! (to insist on washing the dishes)rn-„^-x#]!


skyodina?go-will?

Shall we go? (respectful)dNœ≈([-[#]-]!

ch˙ena? (=ch˙a-ina)go-will?

Shall we go? (familiar)y-x#]-]!

mi-yongwon’t-come

I won’t come.f#-x(r-!

Hindi mi-shesHindi don’t know

I don’t know Hindi.m#]-[#-f#-b*n!

ch˙u mi-(r)goswater don’t want

Water isn’t/won’t be needed.y$-f#-[e(n!

STEM+chen (Indefinite tense)This could be called the indefinite tense, used for things that happengenerally, not at a specific time, and also for likely future or ‘supposed to’,any person. The negative is STEM+che-man.nyerangi ming-a chi zer-chenyour name-to what say-generally

What is your name?i*-cr-r#-f#r-r-t#-;*c-t*]!

k˙o yong-chens/he come-likely

S/he is supposed to come.w(-x(r-t*]!

k˙o yong-che-mans/he come-likely-not

S/he isn’t supposed to come.w(-x(r-t*-f]!

STEM alone in questions (‘Should I?’)A verb stem without an ending is like Shall I? or Should I? It’s used inquestions only: either with a question word, or with the ending -a to make ayes-or-no question.chi cho?what shall-I-do

What shall I do?t#-dX(!

nam yong?when shall-I-come

When should I come?]f-x(r-!

cha lak k˙yer-a?luggage shall-I-carry?

Shall I carry the luggage?t-ve-z∑*c-c!


daksa cho-a?now shall-I-do?

Should I do it now?z[e-n-dX(-z!

+∂o (Maybe, probably)Uncertainty can be expressed by adding -∂o to yot, met, in, man, and verbsending in -at or -met. When speaking of yourself it’s better to use chig-ch˙anamaybe at the beginning of the sentence, rather than -∂o forms.yot-∂o There probably is.

x([-zeC(met-∂o There probably isn’t.

f*[-zeC(in-∂o It probably is.

x#]-eC(man-∂o It probably isn’t.

f]-eC(tagi yot-∂obread is-maybe

Maybe there is some bread.o-e#-x([-zeC(

k˙o yongat-∂os/he come-maybe

Maybe s/he will come.w(-x(r-r[-zeC(

chig-ch˙ana nga yong-chen maybe I come-will

Maybe I will come.et#e-y-]-r-x(r-dX*]!

+k(y)ak (Must be)The ending -kyak or -kak is added to yot, met, in, man, PAST STEMS, and verbsending in -at or -amet. This expresses more certainty than -∂o forms but lessthan inok or -anok forms. It is also used for telling stories and talking abouthistory.yot-k(y)ak There must be.

x([-Weman-k(y)ak I’m pretty sure it’s not.

f]-Wek˙ong ts˙angma yongat-k(y)ak they all coming-must-be

They must all be coming.w(r-hr-f-x(r-r[-We


(r)gyape tus-la zhangs-k(y)ak king-of time-in built- must-be

It was built in the time of the kings.‰Xv-a(z#-[^n-v-dlrn-We

PAST STEM+tok (Past tense, not seen)This past tense ending is used when one hasn’t seen the thing happening, butis sure of it. The radio news readers always use this form.yongs-tok They’ve come (I didn’t see them but I’m sure).

x(rn-o(ech˙ak-tok It broke (though I didn’t see it break).

zye-o(ema-chos-tok It hasn’t been done.

f-dX(n-o(eZoji-la-a k˙a tangs-tokZoji-la snow gave

It snowed on Zoji-la.;(-u#-vz-w-dorn-o(e

dang Sonam lep-tokyesterday Sonam arrived

Sonam arrived yesterday.f[r-dn([-]fn-dN√*d-o(e

Auxiliary verbsThese verbs are added to the stem of another verb, and can take any endingthemselves.[e(n-dX*n- PRESENT STEM+(r)gos-shes: should, must, to have to, to be

necessary (tr, inac)i]-dX*n- PRESENT STEM+nyan-ches: can, to be able to, to be possible (tr,

inac)et$e-dX*n- PRESENT STEM+chug-ches: to allow, let, permit; to make

(somebody do something) (tr, act)eor-dX*n- PAST STEM+tang-ches or +sal-ches adds a sense of spontaneity to

any other verb, and is very common (tr, act)

nga-a ch˙a goshe(s)-rakI go to-be-necessary-feel

(I feel) I should go.rz-y-[e(n-dX*n-ce

nga-a ch˙a goshe(s)-yotI go to-be-necessary-is

I must go. I have to go.rz-y-[e(n-dX*n-x([!


cho mi-(r)gosdo won’t-be-necessary

It won’t be necessary to do.dX(-f#-[e(n!

cho ma-nyando not-was-able

(I/she/he/etc.) couldn’t do it.dX(-f-i]!

nyan-che(s) rak!to-be-able feel

(I feel that) I can do it!i]-dX*n-ce

cho ma-chuksdo not-allowed

It wasn’t permitted.dX(-f-et$en!

k˙o-a nge cho chug-inhim-to I do make-will

I will make him/her do it.w(z-rn-dX(-et$e-x#]!

chos tong!do (spontaneous, command)

Just do it!dX(n-o(r-!

yongs tangscame (spontaneous, past)

S/he just turned up.x(rn-dorn!

nyos tangspinbought (spontaneous, past)

I bought it on the spur of the moment.i(n-dorn-a#]!

PAST STEM+te (Perfect participle & verbal adverb)The PAST STEM+te is a very common form, making a participle or adverb.The negative is ma+PRESENT STEM+ a. Usually it means that the action isfinished and in that case, choste can be translated as having done, i.e. aperfect participle. Sometimes, though, choste can be translated as doing orby doing i.e. a verbal adverb.loks-te skyot!by-returning come!

Come back!v(en-o*-Nœ≈([-

∂ul-te yongspinby-walking (I) came

I came on foot.zeC^v-o*-x(rn-a#]-

Q: chi cho-at? A: duks-te yotwhat are-you-doing Sitting am

What are you doing? I’m hanging around.t#-dX(z[! z[ê-Nø*-x([!

k˙arji zos-te yongspinfood having-eaten came

I ate before I came.wc-u#-;(n-o*-x(rn-a#]!


ma-za-a in-a?not-having-eaten are?

Have you eaten?f-;z-x#]-]!

las ma-∂ub-a inokwork not-finished is

The work is not finished.vn-f-zeC^d-d-x#]-](e

The form zhukste is used to make the TO BE verbs honorific:nyerang ka-ne zhugste in?you where-from (hon) is

Where are you from? (hon)i*-cr-e-]n-lên-o*-x#]!

rinpoche zhugste dukRinpoche (hon) is-there

The Rinpoche is there.c#]-a(-y*-lên-o*-z[ê

STEM +ches (Gerund & future participle)The PRESENT STEM +ches or +shes is considered the basic form of the verb,but it can’t be used alone as the main verb of a sentence. It is pronounced as-che or -she in some combinations.

It functions in at least two ways: as the gerund, that is as the nounrepresenting the activity, and as a sort of future participle, meaning going toor supposed to.

As the gerund:Bodik silches kakspo ts˙or-a-rakBodik reading difficult I-feel-it-is

I find reading Bodik difficult.d([-x#e-n#v-dX*n-[qen-a(-h·c-c-ce

(ß)tses-lu tang-ches skyitpo inokdance-song giving happy is

Singing and dancing is fun.Ì*n-eor-dX*n-Nœ≈#[-a(-x#]-](e

one pen zer-ches (r)gyalla manokone pen saying good isn’t

It’s bad to say ‘one pen.’k]-a*]-;*c-dX*n-‰Xv-v-f]-](e

As the future participle (supposed to or going to):t˙o-re skyot-ches in-a?tomorrow supposed-to-go are-(you)?

Are you supposed to go tomorrow?p(-cn-Nœ≈([-dX*n-x#]-]!

dang ch˙a-ches in-pinyesterday supposed-to-go was

I was supposed to leave yesterday.f[r-y-dX*n-x#]-a#]!

ch˙ak-ches dukgoing-to-break is (on basis of sight)

It looks like it’s going to break.zye-dXn-z[ê


Verbal nounsCertain endings can be added to any verb stem to make a noun from theverb. Here are a few useful and common ones.

fw]- -kan the person or thing that does

NI#r- -(s)nyin(g) the desire to do, want

v(r- -long enough time to do

nga-a Ladagsi spera lops-nyin rak I-to Ladakhi speech learn-desire feel

I want to learn Ladakhi.rz-v-[en-n#-[a*-v-v(dn-NI#r-ce

cha t˙ung-nyin mi-raktea drink-desire don’t-feel

I don’t want to drink tea.u-zp%r-NI#r-f#-ce

sil-long ma-yongs read-time not-came

I didn’t have time to read it.n#v-v(r-f-x(rn!

cho-long yong-in-a? do-time come-will-?

Will you have time to do it?dX(-v(r-x(r-x#]-]!

las cho-kanwork doer

Workervn-dX(-fw]!

k˙ara met-kansugar not-haver

Without sugarw-c-f*[-fw]!

Overview of present and future tensesSTEM+at is present or future implying the speaker already knows, so is

mainly used for the 1st person.cho-at I do --, I’m doing --. I’m going to do --.

STEM+duk is present tense, when the speaker sees or has just found out.cho-ruk She/he/they are doing --. It is being done.(and I just saw it)

STEM+rak is used when the speaker hears, senses, feels the verb happening.cho-a-rak She/he/they are doing --. It is being done.(I can hear, sense or feel it).

STEM+anok is for authoritative statements in present and future.cho-anok They do --. They’ll do --. (It’s generally known)

STEM+at-∂o gives a sense of uncertainty or probability.cho-at-∂o They might do it. They’ll probably do it.


STEM+at-kyak is more certain than -∂o.cho-at-kyak They must be doing it.

STEM+chen can be called the indefinite tense.cho-chen They’ll do that (likely, or they’re supposed to).cho-chen or It’s generally done.

STEM+ches +TO BE makes many going to or supposed to sentences:cho-ches inok It’s supposed to be done or It’s going to be done.cho-che(s) yot I’m supposed to do it.cho-che(s) rak I feel like doing it.

Overview of past tensesPAST STEM+pin is for 1st person, active verbs.

song-pin I wentPAST STEM alone with active verbs is 2nd or 3rd person, especially if seen by

the speaker.song She/he/they went (and I saw them go.)

PAST STEM alone with inactive verbs is any person if seen by the speaker.lep I arrived. orShe/he/they arrived (and I saw them come.)

PAST STEM+tok means the speaker is sure but didn’t personally see it.song-tok She/he/they went. (I’m sure but I didn’t see them go.)lep-tok She/he/they arrived. (I’m sure but didn’t see them come.)

PAST STEM+kyak means the speaker is fairly sure on the basis of evidence.song-kyak She/he/they must have gone.lep-kyak She/he/they must have arrived.

PAST STEM+te+TO BE makes many other past and perfect constructions.song-te inok She/he/they are gone.lepte yot She/he/they have arrived (and are here.)

PAST STEM +pin can also be used for things that happened uncertainly or at anuncertain time in the past, and in this sense it can be used with inactiveverbs. It is not really common or useful enough to be included in this book,but if I don’t mention it, your Ladakhi friend or teacher might tell you it’snot true that -pin can’t be used for 3rd person or with inactive verbs like lep-ches or t˙ongches.


Other grammatical forms

Conditional (if)If is expressed by adding -na to a present verb stem. -Nang is a bit stronger,more like even if.naksha (r)gyap-na, ∂ig-ga-lepicture take-if, is-it-okay?

Is it okay if I take a picture?]e-b-‰Xd-]-zeC#e-e-v*!

ch˙arpa tang-na, ch˙a-met rain give -if go

If it rains, I won’t go.yc-a-eor-]-yz-f*[!

ch˙arpa tang-nang, ch˙a-at rain give-even-if go

Even if it rains, I’ll go.yc-a-eor-]zr-yz[!

Kaltes can be added to the beginning of the sentence, but is not necessary:kaltes k˙ar ji ma-za-na (l)toks-anok if food not-eat-if hungry-is

If one doesn’t eat, one will be hungry.ev-o*n-wc-u#-f-;-]-Vø(en-n-](e

Comparison of adjectivesComparative adjectives are usually made by dropping the second syllable ofan adjective and adding -a . The comparative form is not compulsory; theregular form of the adjective can also be used. The list of adjectives on page95 gives the comparative form of each adjective if there is one.

The word sang means than, but it goes after its object, and the object isusually in the possessive case.Jammu-i sang Le †ang-a inokJammu-of than Leh colder is

Leh is colder than Jammu.uf-f$z#-nr-E√*-eCr-r-x#]-](e

Padma Îolkar-i sang r inga dukPadma Dolkar-of than taller is

Padma is taller than Dolkar.a[-f-Nç(v-[qc-z#-nr-c#r-r-z[e

The usual way of expressing superlatives (best, biggest, etc.) is to say betterthan all, bigger than all, etc.ts˙ang-me sang (r)gyalla inok all-of than good is

(It) is the best.hr-fz#-nr-‰Xv-v-x#]-](e

i(b)o ts˙ang-me sang ch˙enmo dukthis all-of than big is

This is the biggest one.z#-d(-hr-fz#-nr-y*]-f(-z[ê


dang-dering -i sang skitpo met these-days-of than happy there-isn’t

These are the happiest days!(Line from Ali Yato song)f[r-z[#-c#r-nr-Nœ≈#[-a(-f*[!

Too hot, too cold, too much, etc.To express the idea of too or too much, use mángste.cha mángste ts˙ante raktea too hot I-feel-it-is

The tea is too hot for me.u-fr-Nø*-h]-o*-ce

nyerma mángste rakchilli too-much I-feel-it-is

There’s too much chilli (for me).i*c-f-fr-Nø*zr-ce

Articles (the, a, some)Articles are attached to words, but are not compulsory as in English.l#e-z#e -zhik, -ik singular indefinite article like a, an or some

a( d(! -po, -bo, -o singular definite article, like the

q^]! -gun plural definite article, like the

The pronunciation of -zhig depends on the sound before it: after a vowel itcan be pronounced -ik, e.g. ch˙u-zhik and ch˙u-ik some water are equallycorrect.

kushu-zhik sal/ kushik sal apple-a give

Please give (me) an apple.q^-b^-l#e-nv! q^-b^z#e-nv!

ch˙u-skol-zhik salwater-boiled-some give

Please give (me) some boiled water.y%-Nœ(v-l#e-nv!

kushu-bo salapple-the give

Please give (me) the apple.q^-b^-d(-nv!

marpo-bo salred-the give

Please give (me) the red one.[fc-a(-d(-nv!

marpo-gun salred-the-plural give

Please give (me) the red ones.[fc-a(-q^]-d(-nv!


mi-gun songpeople-the went

The people went.f#-q^]-n(r-!

mi-zhig-i tangsperson-a-(act subj) gave

Somebody gave (it) to (me).f#-l#e-e#n-dorn!

The plural article is not used if some other indicator of amount is given, suchas a number, ts˙angma all, mangpo much or many, etc.mi mangpo songpeople many went

Many people went.f#-fr-a(-n(r-!

†˙ugu sum lepchildren three arrived

Three children arrived.sC^-e^-en$f-dN√*d!

-zhik/ -shik/ -ik also means approximately or about when used with a numberor amount:(ß)chu-zhik sal / (ß)chu-ik sal ten-about give

Give (me) about ten.dt$-l#e-nv! dt$z#e-nv!

tsapik-zhik sal little-about give

Give me a little bit.g-a#e-l#e-nv!

9 Songs

Almost every Ladakhi I know enjoys singing, except perhaps some youngerpeople who grew up in Leh with TV. Modern Ladakhi music is thriving,with many new songs being written every year. The radio, cassettes, andyoung people spread them from village to village along with theiraccompanying dance movements. I’m told that fifteen or twenty years agomany songs exhorted people to modernize and get rid of their dusty oldtraditions, but for the past ten years the trend has been quite the opposite,and many songs popularly sung by young people are about preservingLadakhi culture.

Here are two songs that almost anyone you ask should know the tunesto. I didn’t include a zhung-lu, more serious folk song, because they tend touse semi-classical language and have confusing la-la-la syllables in themiddle of words.

Ali Yato is a cheerful and well-known song and the verses are easy, but theliteral meaning of some lines is vague. Adapted from Zangskari songs byTsewang Dorje, it has evolved further by word of mouth.Roughly translated:

Intro:Summertime on the high pass; there’s a beautiful summer pastureGrass and palu flowers; it’s full of wonderful smellsYaks, goats and sheep; we’ve got big flocks and smallButter, milk, buttermilk and cheese; dairy products flowing freely

Chorus:Hey-Hey! Aha, my friends, hey; twenty-five, hey!

1. Up-up-up this way; aha, my friends!Down-down-down that way; aha, my friends!

2. There’s no happier time than this; aha my friends!

3. If you don’t make yourself happy, people will make you suffer

58 Songs

Ali Yato

[dXc-w-v-w-p(]-a-[*-v!zdC(e-n-d[*-f(-x([!Når-[r-f*-o(e-a-v$-n$-v#![}#-l#f-zp%v-zp%v-x([!exe-[r-zdC#-[r-c-f-v$e-e#∑^-y*]-∑^-y$r-x([!fc-[r-z(-f-[-c-sX^c-s*!dl(]-y$-z[#-c#-c#!

m-x#-,-v#-x-[(-v*!i#-b^-Ì-V®-v*!

Yar-k˙a la-k˙a t˙onpo te lasummer pass high that atÎoksa demo yotpasture nice there-isSpang tang mentog palu suligrass and flowers (type of flower)ˇi-zhim t ul-t˙ul yotsmell-nice full there-isYak tang ∂i tang rama luggiyak and female-yak and goats sheepK˙yu-ch˙en k˙yu-ch˙ung yotflock-big flock-small there-isMar tang oma tara ch˙urpebutter and milk buttermilk cheeseZhon-ch˙u di-r i-ridairy products (flowing sound)

Chorus: Hai hai! A-li yato-leNyishu-tsa-nga-le

R*]-R*]-R*]-v-dte-Nø*-z∑*c!p%c-p%c-p%c-v-dte-Nø*-z∑*c!

1. Gyen-gyen-gyen-la chakste k˙yerup-up-up-to crowding takeA-li yato-leT˙ur-t˙ur-t˙ur-la chakste k˙yerdown-down-down-to crowding takeA-li yato-le

f[r-z[#-c#r-nr-Nœ≈#[-a(-f*[!f[r-z[#-c#r-nr-[ez-f(-f*[!

2. Dang-diring sang skyitpo metyesterday-today than happy there-isn’tA-li yato-leDang-diring sang gamo metyesterday-today than happy there-isn’tA-li yato-le

Nœ≈#[-a(-cr-r#n-f-dX(-]!N“ê-a(-f#-x#n-Nø]!

3. Skyitpo rangi ma-cho-nahappy self not-make-ifDukpo mi-i stan (repeat)misery people show

Songs 59

The Jullay Song

zu$-v*! zu$-v*!zu$-v*-f(v-zu$-v]-l#e-nv!v-[˚en-n#-›]-el(]-q^]!

Chorus:Ju-le, ju-le, ju-le mol ju-lan zhig sa-a-alJullay, Jullay, Jullay say ju-answer-a giveLadaksi rgan-zhon-kunLadakhi old-young-all

d-x#-d-x#-[r-m*-v(-õ-õ-q^]!cr-Nœ[-]-s#r-[e(n-z[êb*n-c#e-v-N‘([-az#-v(dn-r]-q^]!o-]#-zsr-p(-c]-n(r-!

1. Bye-bye tang hello, ta- ta-kunBye-bye and hello, ta-ta allRang-skat-na p˙ing-gos-dukOwn-language-from take-out-shouldShes-rig-la not-pe lobs-ngan-kunCulture-to harming habit-bad-allTa-ni p˙ang-t˙o-ran songNow throw-time went

d*-õ-[r-d*-õ#-v(dn-r]-q^]!cr-Nœ[-]-s#r-[e(n-z[êcr-Nœ[-[#-](-](-](-f(-q^]!o-]#-f(v-p(-c]-n(r-!

2. Be†a tang be†i lobs-ngan-kun(Hindi for nono) and (Hindi nomo) habits-badRang-skat-na p˙ing-gos-dukOwn-language-from take-out-shouldRang-skat-ti nono nomo kunOwn-language nono nomo allTa-ni mol-t˙o-ran songNow say-time went

lv-zj·f-[r-[dX*-Nø*-Nœ≈([-g-]!zu$-v*-h‹e-d;r-a(-f(v!f#-[ez-dz#-f#-[r-fif-a(!cr-n*fn-et#e-o^-fp%]-dt$e

3. Zhal-dzom tang peste skyot-zana(Hon)-meet and parting go-whileJu-le ts˙igs zangpo molJullay word good sayMi-ga-we mi tang-nyampoNot-liking person withRang-sems chig-tu t˙un-chukOwn-mind one-to agree-make

fjz-d(-q]-i*-f(-zRc-dt$e-fw]!zu$-v*-h‹e-d;r-a(-x#]!f#-b*n-az#-f#-q^]-b*n-dt$e-fw]!zu$-v*-h‹e-d;r-a(-x#]!!

4. Dzawo-kun nyemo gyur-chuk-kanFriends-all close change-makerJu-le ts˙igs zangpo yinJullay word good isMi-shes-pe mi-kun sheshuk-kanNot-knowing people know-makerJu-le ts˙igs zangpo yinJullay word good is

60 Songs

The Jullay Song translated generally:

Chorus: Say jullay and answer jullayAll Ladakhis, young and old

1. We should rid our language of words like bye-bye, hello and ta-taNow is the time to get rid of culture-destroying habits

2. We should rid our language of words like beta and betiNow is the time to use our own words like nono and nomo

3. Whether meeting or parting, say the good word, jullay.With anyone you don’t like, make up with them.

4. The good word that brings friends closer is jullay,The good word that make strangers friends is jullay.

—Ngawang Rinchen, Wachar

The alphabet

q-ka w-k˙a e-ga r-nga

t-cha y-ch˙a u-ja i-nya

o-ta p-t˙a [-da ]-na

a-pa s-p˙a d-ba f-ma

g-tsa h-ts˙a j-dza k-wa

l-zha ;-za z-a x-ya

c-ra v-la b-sha n-sa

m-ha ,-a

Try learning the alphabet while growing familiar with the material in thefirst conversation chapter, ‘Greetings and Visiting.’ It’s a phonetic alphabetwith only thirty letters, and you can learn it easily in a day or two by copyingit several times in the traditional order, four letters per line, and saying eachletter as you write it. Knowing how to read will help you immensely inunderstanding Ladakhi pronunciation, and is also useful if you ever want tolearn Tibetan.

For the best appearance, write the strokes in the correct order: alwaysmoving your pen from left to right, and top to bottom. First write the top linefrom left to right, and then add the lower lines, starting from the left. Theorder and direction of strokes was more important (and more complex) withthe old bamboo pens, but now with modern pens people use a slightlysimplified version.

As each letter is actually a syllable rhyming with ah, ka is both the nameof the first letter and also the sound of what it spells if nothing else is added.Marking the end of each syllable is a dot called tsek or p˙et˙ik. Marking alarger break such as the end of a sentence is a line called shat, except afterthe letter ga, which is tradionally considered to contain a shat in its owndownstroke if a shat is needed.

You’ll notice that although e-u-[- and d- are usually pronounced ga,ja, da, and ba, in some words they sound like ka, cha , ta, and pa or wa instead.Also, since there are two letters pronounced a, z- can be referred to as a-chung or small a .

Here are some words you can now read:

r- I w-c- sugar; candy, sweets

w- mouth; snow b- meat

n- soil, place h- salt

x- yes; or q-n- yes (polite)

i- fish f- very

v- mountain-pass ,-f- mother

The alphabet 63

The order of strokes for writing the Tibetan/Ladakhi alphabet:

64 The alphabet

Get a Ladakhi friend to help you practice recognising and pronouncing thesounds in these words. For native speakers of English, German, and someother European languages, the unaspirated sounds (†, t, k, p, ts, ch) are moredifficult because English tends to use aspirated sounds (†˙, k˙, p˙, ts˙, ch˙) atthe beginning of words. Try holding your breath while making theunaspirated sounds, and hold the back of your hand to your lips to feel thepuff of air in the aspirated sounds.

o(r- tong! give q-ve- ka-lak mud

p(r- t˙ong see w-ve- k˙a-lak hands and face

t#- chi what h°-c#r- ts˙ering (a name)

y$- ch˙u water g-a#e- tsapik a little bit

a*-]*- pe-ne money a[-f- padma (a name)

s*- p˙e flour rf-s*- ngam-p˙e barley flour, tsampa

gr-f- tsangma clean qr-a- kang-pa foot

hr-f- ts˙angma all wr-a- k˙ang-pa house

The spelling is simplified in these examples for learning.

Tongue twister: The Buddhist’s goose ate barley flour.nang-pe ngang-pe ngam-p˙e zos.

Disclaimer: The author and publisher can not be held responsible for any injuries sustained during incorrectattempts at pronouncing the above.

Vowels and whole syllables

Each letter of the alphabet can be read as a syllable rhyming with ah unless adifferent vowel sign is added. A vowel sign is a symbol above or below themain letter, changing the inherent -a sound to -i,-u,-e or -o, similar to Englishbeat, boot, bet, and boat. Be careful never to say the flat a of English flat orcat.

With vowels signs, e-ga becomes e#-gi, e^- gu, e*-ge, or e(-go.

NAMES OF THE VOWELS WITH SAMPLE WORDS:

gigu# i

t#- chi what

z#- i- this

f#- mi person

i#-f- nyima sun

c#- ri mountain

zhapskyu $ u

u%- ju “thanks”

n$- su who

d$- bu bug, worm

y$- ch˙u water

x$- yu turquoise

v$-e% lugu lamb

∂en *gbo

e

s*- p˙e flour

[*- te that

h°- ts˙e life

v*- -le (polite ending)


c*-c*- re-re each

naro ( i

l(- zho yoghurt

n(- so tooth

](- no little brother

j·- dzo cross of yak + cow

](-f(- nomo little sister

w(- k˙o she or heThe spelling is simplified in these examples for learning.

66 Vowels & whole syllables

Spelling out loudIf you ask a Ladakhi or Tibetan for the spelling of a word, they’ll give you along chant which you won’t understand unless you learn how to spell outloud. When telling how a word is spelled, don’t simply say the letters as ifspelling in English. First say the letter name, then the vowel name, andfinally the resulting syllable:

t#- cha gigu: chi y$- ch˙a zhapskyu: ch˙u

f#- ma gigu: mi n$- sa zhapskyu: su

f*- ma ∂engbo: me v*- la ∂engbo: le

w(- k˙a naro: k˙o j(- dza naro: dzo

Suffix lettersWords like r ak, in, ch˙ang and k˙am-zang have a sound at the end of thesyllable which is written with a suffix letter after the main letter. (In contrastto Tibetan, suffixes are pronounced in Central and Western Ladakhi, andthey don’t change the vowel.)You will notice that e-[- and d- tend to sound like k, t and p at the end ofwords but like g, d and b in the middle of words. In this book I chose to writethem as I hear them said: for example, rak is spelled with the letters ra and ga,but what people pronounce is rak, not rag.

Only ten of the letters may be suffixes: e-r-[-]-d-f-z-c-v-n!yr- ch˙ang alcohol, beer e^c-e^c- gur-gur tea churn

ce- rak to be, to feel ce-e- rag-a Is it? Do you feel?

d([- Pot / Bot Tibet x#-e*- yi-ge letter

d([-x#e- bod-yik Ladakhi writing (“Tibetan letters”)

The only possible second suffix is n!v-[˚en- Ladags, Ladaks Ladakh

lên- zhuks sit (hon) ern- kangs ice

Vowels & whole syllables 67

Prefix letters

The only really confusing part of Ladakhi spelling is the prefix letters beforethe main letter of some syllables. There are only five possible prefixes,e-[-d-f-z- but their main function seems to be to protect the status ofpeople who know how to spell!

The prefix can be silent, pronounced, or changed to a different sound.With verbs, the prefixes are usually silent, and the scholars can never agreeon which prefix goes with which tense, so you can ignore prefixes on verbs.However, prefixes on nouns seem to represent some archaic pronunciationwhich resurfaces in the middle of some compound words.

Knowing about prefixes will help you understand why the pronunciationof a word sometimes changes when it is combined with another word. Thenumbers make a good example:

ONE SYLLABLE(silent prefix)

COMPOUND WORD(prefix pronounced in second syllable)

ei#n- nyis two dt$-ei#n- chugnyis twelve

en$f- sum three dt$-en$f- chugsum thirteen

dl#- zhi four dt$-dl#- chubzhi fourteen

dt$- (ß)chu ten dl#-dt$- zhibchu forty

❖ There is one irregular prefix combination: [d is not pronounced ba butinstead softens to wa or takes on the sound of whatever vowel isattached to it:

[dr-f(-Wangmo or Angmo [d$-y*]-u-chen block letters

❖ The combination [a is usually pronounced sp, and generally theprefixes [ and d tend to be pronounced (r) (ß) or (s).

[a*-c- spera speech, language [av-fj°n- Spalzes (a name)

68 Vowels & whole syllables

❖ Prefixes (or the lack of one) affect the pronunciation of the voicedletters, ga, ja, da and ba (all in the third column of the alphabet). Theseare usually pronounced ka, cha, ta and pa (like the first column) if theyare not ‘protected’ by a prefix or combination:

e-c$-ka-ru where u-cha tea [*-d(-te-bo that d$-h-puts˙a boyHowever, if these letters have a prefix when they begin a word, thenthey are ‘protected’ by it, and are voiced (like their own names):

fe(-go head zu$-v*-ju-le f[r-dang yesterday zd$-g‹e-bu-tsik bugNote that the above rule holds true in Leh and East, but in Sham thepronunciation tends to stay closer to the spelling.

❖ When reading a syllable, you must find the main letter to pronounce.Usually, the one with the vowel sign is the main letter, unless there isno vowel sign (in other words, the unwritten inherent a sound). If thereare only two letters in the syllable and no vowel sign, assume the firstletter is the main letter. Remember there can be only one prefix, andonly one suffix, or one suffix plus n-.

Spelling out loudTo spell whole syllables with prefix, vowel, and suffix, name the parts in theorder you write them:

1. If there is a prefix, name it and add -ok to show it’s just a prefix.2. Name the main letter and then the vowel.3. Say the result so far.4. If there is a suffix, name it.5. Finally say the result of the whole syllable.

ce- ra , ga: rak.

et#e- ga-ok, cha gigu: chi, ga: chik.

ei#n- ga-ok, nya gigu: nyi, sa: nyis.

en$f- ga-ok, sa zhapskyu: su, ma: sum.

dt$- ba-ok, cha zhapskyu: chu.

[dr-f(- da-ok, ba, nga : wang. ma naro: mo. Wangmo.

Combined lettersTwo or three consonants can be combined to make the central part of asyllable. Most of the combinations are easy to recognise:Nœ-ska, ›- rga, Vµ- lha, Nƒ-sma, etc.

However, the two most common subscribed (written under) letters, ya and ra,change their looks and the sound of the consonant they are attached to.

Subscribed ya (yataks)Ya can be subscribed below seven different letters, changing their sounds.The standard way to learn the pronunciation changes is by repeating thespelling like a chant until you can remember it: say yasta for with ya below .

When subscribed, ya x- appears as X.Spelling out loud

W- kya ka yasta: kya

∑- k˙ya k˙a yasta: k˙ya

R- gya ga yasta: gya

aX- cha pa yasta: cha (sometimes pya)sX- ch˙a p˙a yasta: ch˙a (sometimes p˙ya)dX- ja ba yasta: ja (sometimes bya)fX- nya ma yasta: nya

❖ Following the rule of ‘protection’ of letters, R and dX are pronounced kyaand cha/pya in Leh if without a prefix, but gya and ja/bya if they have aprefix.

❖ Since the combination [d softens and changes to whichever vowel isadded to it, with ya subscribed it simply becomes ya:

[dXc- yar summer [dXrn-t]- Yangchan (a name)

When Tibetans invented this writing system a thousand years ago,presumably they were intelligent and transcribed current pronunciation.Over time the pronunciation of certain combinations has changed, as theabove list shows, but the process of change is still visible here in Ladakh.Kargil and lower Sham still pronounce most of the above as they are spelled.

70 Combined letters

However, in Leh py, p˙y and by are pronounced as spelled in most wordswith the vowels i or e, and change to ch, ch˙ and j in words with the vowels a,u and o:

LEH PRONUNCIATION LOWER SHAM PRONUNCIATION

sX*- p˙e flour p˙e

sX#-v(e-e p˙iloga outside p˙iloga

sX(en- ch˙ogs direction p˙yogs

sXê-a(- ch˙ukpo rich p˙yukpo

dX- cha bird bya

Subscribed ra (rataks)Ra also changes the pronunciation of the main letter, creating those‘retroflex’ sounds with a hint of r in them. Only 11 letters can have r asubscribed, and some of them are rarely found. Again, the best way to learnthe pronunciation changes is by repeating the spelling several times. (Forwith ra below, different regions may also say rasta, ran†a or raßha.)

When subscribed, c appears as CqC- †a ka rata: †a (Kargil kra)„- †˙a k˙a rata: †˙a (Kargil k˙ra)eC- ∂a ga rata: ∂a or †a (Kargil gra)\- †a ta rata: †a (rare)pC- †˙a t˙a rata: †˙a (rare)[}- ∂a da rata: ∂a or †a

aC- †a pa rata: †a (rare)sC- †˙a p˙a rata: †˙a (Kargil and lower Sham p˙ra)dC- ∂a ba rata: ∂a or †a (Kargil and lower Sham bra)nC- ßha sa rata: ßha

'- ßha ha rata: ßha (rare)

Combined letters 71

❖ Once again, the rule of protection by prefixes applies. Without a prefix,eC-[}-dC- are pronounced † in Leh and east, but if they are ‘protected’ by aprefix they are pronounced ∂. And also once again, Sham pronunciationis often closer to the spelling.

eCr-f(- †angmo cold [}(]-f(- †onmo warm

zeC#e- ∂ik okay zdCn- ∂as rice (Lower Sham bras)

All the ratags sounds are pronounced with the tip of the tongue curled up intothe palate as if to say r. At first ßha may sound like sha to you, and †a like ta,etc., but practice with a Ladakhi friend until you can differentiate them. ˇa ,†˙a and ∂a are more like the English letters t and d than are t, t˙ and d, whichare pronounced with the tip of the tongue against the teeth.

Hindi and Tibetan make this same distinction between dental andretroflex consonants. The Tibetans who invented Bodik on the basis ofIndian writing systems didn’t include letters for retroflex sounds becausethey didn’t have these sounds in Tibetan at that time. Only later did Tibetanand Ladakhi change the pronunciation of combinations involving ra andborrow retroflex sounds from Indian languages.

Ask a Ladakhi friend to help you differentiate and pronounce these words:b- sha meat „#- †˙i 10,000

nC- ßha hair eC#- †i knife

b#r- shing wood zdC#- ∂i write

nC#r- ßhing wait! zdCê- ∂uk dragon

f[r- dang yesterday z[ê- duk there is

zeCrn- ∂angs I’m full! [ê- tuk poison

fp(r- t˙ong see [}ê- †uk six

eo(r- tong give! p%e-a- t˙ukpa soup

eC(rn- †ongs die (hon) „ê-a- †˙ukpa quarrel (Upper Lad)

72 Combined letters

Superscribed sa, ra, la (rago, sago, lago)Other combinations are easier to read. Sa , ra and la can be superscribed(written above) several letters, and la can be subscribed below several letters.The main sound pronounced is usually the lower one.

Here are the main combinations with superscribed sa, ra , and la, and howthey are usually pronounced. They are pronounced as spelled except theexceptions marked with *.Nœ- ska ¤- (ß)ka Vœ- lka

N´- zga ›- rga or gutteral gha* V´- lga

N®- snga Â- (ß)nga V®- ßhnga* (the word five)

NI- snya Ë- rja or zha V†- lcha

Nø- sta È- (ß)nya V¨- lja

N“- zda Ø- (ß)ta Vø- lta

N‘- sna ”- rda V“- lda

Nå- spa ’- (ß)na Vå- lpa

N∂- zba Î- rba V∂- lba

Nƒ- sma Ï- (ß)ma Vµ- lha

N© sa* (rare) Ì- (ß)tsa

Ô- rdza or za*

Note that s and r naturally come out unvoiced, i.e. s and ßh, before certainletters like k, t, p, ts, ng, n, ny, and m. They naturally come out voiced , i.e. zand r, before other letters like g, j, d, b, or dz.

In Leh, the top letter is often pronounced s; in Sham it tends to bepronounced as spelled, and east of Leh it tends to be silent:Ø- Sham ßhta, Leh sta, Changthang ta horse

dVø-dX*n- Sham lta-chas, Leh sta-ches, Changthang ta-che to see

Nø-c#- Sham and Leh stari, Changthang tari axe

Combined letters 73

Subscribed la (lataks)When la is subscribed below another letter the result is pronounced simply laor lha, so Q√-E√-D√-c√-N√-Vµ- are all pronounced la, or, especially in Sham, lha.

dN√(d-eC˚- lop-†a school E√^- lu song

E√*- Le Leh Q√^- lu underground spirit

D√-f- lama Vµ- lha spirit, local god

There is only one irregular combination: : √- is pronounced ld a or ldza(Memorize za la-ta: lda). Luckily, : √-d- moon or month is the only commonword with this combination.

Combinations of three lettersMost combinations of three letters are easy to recognise if you already knowthe combinations of two letters.

‰Xv-v- (r)gyalla good

dNœ≈([- skyot come, go (hon)

Nƒ≈(]-d- (s)nyonba insane, mad, crazy

However, combinations of three letters with ra at the bottom may bepronounced ßh, r, ∂ or † depending on whether the central letter is a voicedconsonant, and vary from region to region:

VOICED CONSONANTS: r OR ∂ UNVOICED CONSONANTS: ßh

N´ç&rn- rungs story Nœç- ßha hair

N∂çr-d$- rangu fly(Lower Sham zbangbu)

Nåç#]- ßhin cloud(Lower Sham ßhpin)

N∂ç&v- rul snake(Lower Sham zbul)

Nåç#- ßhi cream, colostrum

N´ç(v-f- Îolma (a name) f-Nåç(- Maßho Matho village

y(n-N´ç(v- Ch˙orol (a name)

Further spelling notes

Syllables with two vowelsWhen adding an ending to a word that ends in a vowel sound (i.e. doesn’thave a consonant suffix), one syllable can have two vowels:n$z- su-a to whom n$z#- su-i of whom, whose

rz- nga-a to me rz#- nga-i (pron. nge) of me, my

yz[- ch˙a-at I am going yz#]- ch˙a-in (pron ch˙en) will goAt first this may seem confusing if the vowel mark is not with the mainletter, but only z can be used for the second vowel, and z as a main letternever has a prefix. You’ll soon learn to recognise which letters cannot beprefixes and so must be the main letter.

Only five letters may be prefixes: e-[-d-f-z! Ten letters may be suffixes: e-r-[-]-d-f-z-c-v-n! The only second suffix is n!

WazurWa subscribed below other letters is just a little triangle, and is generallysilent. Its main functions seem to be to differentiate between otherwiseidentical words, or to mark the main letter of a syllable.

h-ts˙a salt h-ts˙a (word root for heat)

Ì˚-(r)tsa plants, grass Ì-(r)tsa nerve, vein, artery

v-[˚en-Ladags Ladakh (without wazur it should be pronounced La-gas)

S+ch pronounced shThe sound ch changes to sh if it follows s. These words are sometimeseven spelled with b-instead of t-or dX-.n*fn-t]- semshan animal, sentient being i#-b^- nyishu twenty

Nas pronounced ne; silent saIn Tibetan, Upper Ladakhi and Zangskari, the suffix sa is not pronounced,but instead changes the preceding vowel. In Leh accent this happens only intwo situations. 1) The ending or word meaning from is spelled -nas butpronounced -ne in Leh and east through Tibet. In Sham, people say -nas.2) The ending for the subject of an active transitive verb is spelled with a sa

Further spelling notes 75

which goes silent and changes the vowel before it in Leh and east throughTibet. In Sham they pronounce the sa and don’t change the vowel.

A-chung zFor foreign words, especially Sanskrit and Hindi, a-chung can be subscribedbelow another letter to indicate a long vowel since there is no distinctionbetween long and short vowels in Ladakhi and Tibetan.

In the second syllable of Ladakhi words, the prefix z often comes out asa nasal sound (n or ng). This is also true in Tibetan where f#-z[ê- ispronounced mindu.

Special letters for foreign wordsIn mantras and foreign words you may notice backwards letters, unusualcombinations, and a little circle above some letters, all of which aretraditionally used for transcribing Sanskrit words into Tibetan script. Thebackwards letters õ-ú-ù- indicate retroflex sounds in foreign words, andthe pronunciation is identical to qC-„-eC- Other backwards letters representvarious Sanskrit letters but are pronounced as if they weren’t backwards.

The little circle above a letter is borrowed directly from Sanskrit/Hindiwriting, and indicates a nasal sound (n, ng or m) after the vowel.

A whole Sanskrit word is often squeezed between two ts˙egs whenwritten in Tibetan, even if it has more than one syllable.

,(±fû#a{ƒ*P!Vowel HarmonyOften, the second syllable of a word overwhelms and changes the vowel ofthe first syllable:

h°-c#r Ts˙iring b(e-d$- shugu paper

](c-d$- Nurbu d(r-d$- bungbu donkey

[(]-eC^d- Tun∂up d$-f(- pomo girl

Aspirated second syllableIf the second syllable of a word has an aspirated consonant, most regionspronounce it unaspirated:

[dr-sXê- (W)angchuk s$]-h·en- P˙untsok

76 Further spelling notes

Regional variationsThere are slight variations of vocabulary, pronunciation and verb endingsacross Ladakh. The variations blend from one area to the next, so eachvillage has a unique combination. Most people will understand the CentralLadakhi version given in this book, though they may use somethingdifferent. Variations usually follow a regular pattern that you can figure out.

Variations in the TO BE verbsRegional variations in the basic TO BE verbs can be confusing at first. After avowel, -duk may be pronounced -ruk or -nuk, and -rak may be pronounced -nak. In some areas, rak itself is pronounced ∂ak. Sham and Nubra say intsukinstead of inok, and Balti-skat doesn’t have rak, so they say duk where otherLadakhis would say rak.

ShamShammas are proud of their pronunciation for being close to spelling:Clusters of letters are often pronounced completely, and ga, ja, da, ∂a, ba anddza do not need any ‘protection’ but are pronounced as they are spelled.Instead of inok and related endings, Shammas use intsuk and -tsuk or -sok, andthe basic verb ending ches is c h as. The second syllable of many wordspronounced -a or -u in Leh is pronounced -ba or -bu in Sham.

NubraThe most famous specialty of Nubra-skat is that for miduk they say miyang(but Nubrapas are NOT amused by jokes about the cat’s meow). Also, aconsonant between two vowels is often softened or swallowed, so thatmother is a(ng)a not ama, and camel is ßnga-ong not ßngabong. The basic verbending ches is cha .

Upper LadakhThese eastern accents merge towards Tibetan in simplifying most consonantclusters to a single sound, and leaving s silent after vowels and changing thevowel. We were disappointed when we visited someone’s house in Chang-thang and were told that he’d gone to Leh: Le-a song. But then he turned upminutes later in work clothes, not city finery, and we realised that las, work,is pronounced le in Changthang. Watch out when people from far east of Lehtry to speak Leh-skat with you: they tend to put s randomly before everyword in an effort to sound like Leh-skat.

Further spelling notes 77

ZangskarZangskari has some significant differences from Ladakhi, but the oneeverybody notices most is that sk and rk are pronounced h. The sound s aftera vowel often goes silent and may change the preceding vowel sound, muchlike Tibetan does.

BaltiThe Balti accents of Kargil and Baltistan pronounce even closer to theclassical Tibetan spelling than Lower Sham does, even though these Muslimareas haven’t used Bodik writing for centuries. They are the far west edge ofthe Tibetan language realm, and perhaps represent the most conservativepronunciation, similar to that of the scholars who invented Bodik more thana thousand years ago. However, they use a lot of Urdu vocabulary and maynot know some of the Tibetan/Ladakhi words used in Central Ladakh. Thereis currently a Bodik revival movement in Pakistan-held Baltistan.

Consonant Cluster ChangesThese patterns pop up here and there. Any given place may use a few ofthese, and the resulting sounds may not even be acknowledged or recognisedby people of other regions.Vø-lt => st (Leh)N´-›-sg, rg => gh, gutteral g as in Urdu, or French r (e.g. Leh, Igoo)Ë- rj => zh (Leh, Changthang)Ô- rdz => z (Leh, Changthang)Ì- (ß)ts => s (Changthang)Nœ-¤- sk, rk, (ß)k => h (Zangskar)N∂-Î- sb, rb => v (e.g. Igoo, parts of Zangskar)Nå-[a- sp, rp, (ß)p => f (e.g. Igoo, parts of Zangskar)ex- ga prefix with ya => hy (e.g. in lower Sham)Q√-E√-N√- L below almost any other letter => Lh (e.g. lower Sham)

Why write modern Ladakhi?Many scholars in Ladakh claim that modern Ladakhi, modern Tibetan, andClassical Tibetan are all one language, and use this claim as an excuse forwriting in a semi-classical style that is equally incomprehensible to all.Certainly all three are closely related and use the same alphabet, but does thesame situation make Spanish, French and Latin all one language, or Hindi,Nepali and Sanskrit? Ladakhis today are growing up without the basic rightof mother tongue literacy. They are faced with a daunting number oflanguages to learn to read and write: English the one currently giving thegreatest access to rights and opportunities; Urdu, the official language ofJ&K; Hindi, the national language and lingua franca of North India; andSanskrit, Classical Tibetan or Arabic for religious studies. Among all these,the option of literacy in their mother-tongue, Ladakhi, is lost.

Most children do study ‘Bodhi’ (an unfortunately communal-soundingmisspelling of Bodik) in school, but it is radically different from the Ladakhithey speak, using words and grammar unknown to them. It is something likeShakespearean English with its archaic forms and irregular spellings. Withsome study, Ladakhis can learn to understand it, but only a few monks andscholars dare write it, and the rest are intimidated, afraid of the ‘sin’ ofmisspelling the sacred script. Thus, very few Ladakhis ever gain functionalliteracy in their mother tongue. I find people writing letters—even loveletters!—in English, Hindi or Urdu, even when neither the sender nor therecipient knows these languages very well.

Neither Ladakhis nor Tibetans speak Classical Tibetan, and the modernlanguages are different enough that they often use Hindi to communicate. Aswith every living language, Ladakhi grammar, pronunciation and vocabularyhave changed naturally over time, while modern Tibetan has changed in itsown direction.

Ladakhi verb tenses, for example, are unique. Classical Tibetan has noverb endings, and every verb is what we call irregular in English, with fourdifferent stems for the four tenses. Modern Ladakhi (and modern Tibetan)have changed to what we call regular verbs in English, with one stem foreach verb and a pattern of changes and endings for the different tenses.Moreover, what is called ‘evidentiality’ in linguistics is essential in Ladakhiverb forms, meaning it is impossible to make a sentence without stating howone knows the verb happened. This system is entirely absent from ClassicalTibetan.

Why write modern Ladakhi? 79

Similarly, Ladakhi vocabulary has changed. But even with vocabularythat remains the same in Ladakhi and Tibetan, the pronunciation is markedlydifferent. For example, the Ladakhi name Diskit is pronounced Diki byTibetans, though the Bodik spelling is the same. Likewise, Ladakhi Stanz in isTibetan Tenz in. These changes in pronunciation surely happened after thespelling was set down, and Ladakhi pronunciation is undoubtedly closer tothat of the time when Tibetan was first written, more than a thousand yearsago.

Even the scholars who claim that Ladakhi and Tibetan are one languageknow that they have to translate their so-called Ladakhi writing into actualLadakhi when reading it in public, if they wish to be understood.

Literacy is a fundamental tool and right. The Tibetan community realisesthis and produces its newspapers and books in modern Tibetan (whichLadakhis don’t understand). Tibetans who wish to study Classical Tibetanstill do so, with the added strength of foundation in their mother tongue.Ladakhi students deserve the same opportunity. If Ladakhi students startedout reading modern Ladakhi that they could fully understand, perhaps theClassical language would not seem so difficult later on. The strongestfoundation for literacy, even in other languages, is to have strong readingand writing skills in one’s mother tongue first. For this reason, we at MelongPublications are dedicated to writing and publishing a variety of materialsfor all ages in the Ladakhi language.

Vocabulary & PhrasesPlace namesdv-o#-Nø]- Baltistan: the people of Baltistan, which is down the Shayok

river and now mostly controlled by Pakistan, and of theKargil area are called Balti.

dXr-pr- Chang-t˙ang: the high plateau between Ladakh and Tibet.(Tibet’s Changthang plateau is different)

sX#-‰Xv-a-,r-c*n-a-õ^-c#n-

Ch˙i-gyalpa is the proper term for foreigner, but not as commonas angrespa (English) or †uris, which are how all (whitish)foreigners tend to be referred to—regardless of nationalityor purpose in Ladakh. Indian-looking people are oftenreferred to as gyagarpa regardless of their origins, and otherforeigners are still rare enough not to have a blanket term.

dC(e-x$v- Îokyul, brokyul, da-hanu: region further down the Indus fromSham, with a unique non-Ladakhi language and culture;∂okpa, brokpa, hanupa: Dard, the people of Da-Hanu

zdCê-x$v- Îuk-yul: Bhutan

‰X-ec- Gya-gar: India; gya-gar-pa: an Indian person

‰X-]e- Gya-nak: China; gya-mi: a Chinese person

[qc-l˚- Karzha: Lahaul, north of Manali, with a mixed Tibeto-Hinduculture; karzha-pa: person of Karzha

w-t$v- K˙a-chul: Kashmir; k˙a-chulpa: Kashmiri

v-[˚en- Ladags: Ladakh; Ladagspa: person of Ladakh

]^d-c- Nubra: region north of Leh, on the Shyok river; Nubra-pa:person from Nubra

av-x$v- Palyul: Nepal, but colloquially Nepalis are called Gorka

d([- Pot: Tibet; Potpa: Tibetan person

ebf- Sham: western Ladakh, on the lower Indus; Shamma: personfrom Sham

Nœ(c-exrn-a-Skor-yangs-pa: tourist (lit. one who goes around for fun)

Nå#-o#- Spiti: region southeast of Ladakh, with related culture andlanguage; Spitipa: person from Spiti

Place names 81

n#-c#-]-ec- Sirinagar: Srinagar

Nø([- Stot: Upper Ladakh, the eastern section; Upper Zangskar is alsoStot; Stotpa: person from Stot.

x$v- yul: village or country; yulpa: villager, citizen

;rn-[qc- Zangskar: valley south of Ladakh, with related culture &language; Zangskarpa: person from Zangskar

For any other place not listed here, try the English name.

---a- ---f- -pa and feminine -ma make a person out of another word:Chang-pa = person from Changthang, Sabu-ma =woman from Sabu.

82 People

Personal namesListed here are only some of the most common names of Buddhist Ladakhis,because Muslim names are more varied and may already be familiar to you.

Ladakhi Buddhists have two names of equal importance. Neither is afamily name, and either may be what the person is called in one circle ofpeople or another. You’ll probably meet several people with the same name,and brothers with totally different names. Most names can be for either girlsor boys, though there are certain feminine names.

Tibetans names are the same but pronounced differently—thus LadakhiStanz in is Tibetan Tenz in, Ladakhi Padma is Tibetan Pema, and Ladakhi Diskitis Tibetan Diki.

If you insist on asking for a family name, people will tell you their housename—but in reality most people don’t treat the house name as part of theirown name. However, the house name is essential for addressing letters,since there may be two—or ten—people with the same name as your friendin his or her village!

Feminine names-Mo and -ma are feminine endings; Dolma and names with ∂ol in them referto the goddess Tara; and -skit joy, and -zes/dzes elegance, are also only ingirls’ names.y(n-N´ç(v- Ch˙orol Vµ-f(- Lhamo

d[*-t]- Dechan i#-:√- Nilza

d[*-Nœ≈#[- Diskit [av-f(- Palmo

N´ç(v-qc- Îolkar [av-fj°n- Spalzes

N´ç(v-f- Îolma [dXrn-t]- Yangchan

q^]-fj°n- Kunzes [dXrn-Nœ≈#[- Yangskit

Vµ-N´ç(v- Lha∂ol [dr-f( (W)Angmo

People 83

Names for both men & women

:√-d- Dawa c#e-zj‹]- Rigzin

”(-Ë*- Dorje c#]-y*]- Rinchen

fe(]-d(- Gonbo dnf-zs*v- Samp˙el

‰Xv-a(- Gyalpo Nœv-d;r- Skalzang

‰X-fh·- Gyatso qÏ- Skarma

zu#en-f*[- Jigmet dn([-]fn- Sonam

[q(]-fy(e- Konchok dNø]-zj‹]- Stanz in

D√(-d;r- Lobzang Nø(dn-‰Xn- Stopgyas

Vµ^]-eC^d- Lun∂up dqC-b#n- ˇashi

[r(n-eC^d- Ngo†up, Murup fpc-sX#]- T˙archin

’f-‰Xv- Namgyal sC#]-vn- ˇ˙inlas, ˇ˙inley

re-[dr- Ngawang p%d-dNø]- T˙upstan

](c-‰Xn- Norgyas h°-c#r- Ts˙ering

i#-f- Nyima h°-dØ]- Ts˙etan

a{ƒ- a[-f- Padma h°-[dr- Ts˙ewang

[av-V“]- Paldan [(]-eC^d- Tun∂up,

s]-d[*- P˙andey ,(-‰X]- Urgyan

s$]-h·en- P˙untsok [dr-sXê- (W)angchuk

Many more names are made by combining the above syllables in other ways.Everyone named by the Dalai Lama is Stanzin and in recent years he hasbeen giving more unusual names for the other name, so children’s namesmay be different from those above.

84 People

Family members


,-d#- abi grandmother

,-d- aba father (also uncle, father’s acho)

,-f- ama mother (also aunt, mother’s a-che)

,-lr- azhang uncle (mother’s brother or ane’s husband)

,-e^- agu uncle (father’s no or machung’s husband)

,-]*- a-ne aunt (father’s sister or azhang’s wife)

f-y$r- ma-ch˙ung aunt (mother’s nomo or agu’s wife)

q-e- q-q- ka(g)a, kaka elder brother (hon, elite or Muslim)

,-u(- a-cho older brother (or cousin)

,-t*- a-che older sister (or cousin)

](-](- no, no-no younger brother (or cousin)

](-f(- no-mo younger sister (or cousin)

f#r-nC#r- ming-ßhing brothers & sisters

d$-h- puts˙a boy, man; son

d$-f(- pumo girl, woman; daughter

sC^-e^- †˙u-gu child, baby

fe-a- makpa 1 husband. 2 husband who moves into hiswife’s household instead of the usual opposite.

f]z-f- nama wife

To clarify between siblings and cousins, people seem to use the Urdu wordk˙as specific for real siblings, e.g. Stanzin-i acho inok. That’s Stanzin’s elderbrother. K˙as acho inog-a? His real brother? K˙as manok... No, cousin...

Pronouns 85

PronounsPersonal pronouns have a maddening number of regional variations. Listedbelow are those used in Leh, which should be understood throughoutLadakh.

SINGULAR PERSONAL PRONOUNS & POSSESSIVES

r- nga I rz#- nge my

i*-cr- nyerang you(sing, hon)

i*-cr-r##-i*-c#- nyerangi/ nye-ri your (sing, hon)

∑*-cr- k˙yerang you(sing, familiar)

∑*-cr-r#-∑*-c#- k˙yerangi/ k˙yeriyour (sing, familiar)

w(r- k˙ong he/she (hon) w(r-r#- k˙ongi his/her (hon)

w(- k˙o he/she/it (non-hon) w(z#- k˙oi his/ her/ its(non-hon)

PLURAL PERSONAL PRONOUNS & POSSESSIVES

r-or- nga-tang we (including theperson you’re speaking to)

r-o#- nga-ti our (inclusive)

r-l- nga-zha we (not incl.) r-lz#- nga-zhe our (not incl.)

i*-l- nye-zha you (pl. hon) i*-lz#- nye-zhe your (pl. hon)

∑*-l- k˙ye-zha you (pl. familiar) ∑*-lz#- k˙ye-zhe your (pl. familiar )

w(r- k˙ong they w(r-r#- k˙ongi their

Rang is an ending rouhly like English -self: Nga-rang I myself, k˙o-rang hehimself, it itself, etc,

Rang also means you and can be added to names and terms of address:nomo-rang you, nomo; no-rang you, no-no, Angmo-rang you, Angmo. Thisform of you is good to use with people who are younger or equal to you,since k˙yerang can sound rude. It can also be used instead of nyerang, as inama-le-rang.

Gun is a plural ending emphasizing all or most of the group in question.Combinations of these components lead to an almost unlimited number

of possible pronouns, such as nyerang-gun yourselves or each of you; k˙ong-rangi their own; nyezha-rang-i each of your own.

86 Pronouns

Nobody, nothing, and neverTo say nobody, use sú-ang with a negative verb.To say nothing, use cháng with a negative verb.For never or not at all , use má-ne with a negative verb.

n$zr-f#-z[ê sú-ang mi-duk Nobody is here.

rz-t#zr-f*[- nga-a cháng met I have nothing.

t#zr-f-;(n-a#]- cháng ma-zos-pin I ate nothing.

f-]*-f-n(r-a#]- má-ne ma-song-pin I never went.

t#zr-f#-Nø(- cháng mi-stó It doesn’t matter.

Question words

e-;$e- kazug how, in what way

gf- tsam how many, how much

t#- chi what

]f- nam when

gf-z#-q- tsam-ika at what time

e-c$- ka-ru where, to where

e-]n- ka-ne where, from where

e-q- ka-ka where, on what

e-d(- ka-bo which one

e- ka- which (question word prefix that canbe attached before other words)

n$- su who

t#z-t#-sX#z- chi-a, chi-phia why, for what

Pronouns 87

Demonstrative pronouns

(This, that & which; Here there & where)The prefix syllables i-, a -, te-, and ka- are used to build many words.

i- this, here, etc.a- that, therete- that, there (the place or thing we’ve been talking about)ka- which, where (makes a question)

These prefixes can be attached before any noun, or they can build suchwords as in the table below. They change a little from region to region. Forexample, in Sham (as in Tibetan), this is di- instead of i-.

z#-d(- i-(b)o this thing z#-c$- i-ru here, to here

z-d(- a-(b)o that thing z-c$- a-ru there, to there,over there

[*-d(- te-(b)o the thing(that we mentioned)

[*-c$- te-ru there, to there(where we mentioned)

e-d(- ka-(b)o which thing? e-c$- ka-ru where? to where?

z#-]n- i-ne here, from here z#-q- i-ka here, on this

z-]n- a-ne there, from there z-q- a-ka there, on that

[*-]n- te-ne from there; and then [*-q- te-ka there, on that

e-]n- ka-ne where? from where? e-q- ka-ka? where? on what?

z#-;$e i-zuk like this, this way z#-q(-c*- í-ko-re this cup

z-;$e a-zuk like that, that way z-q(-c*- á-ko-re that cup

[*-;$e te-zuk the way wementioned

[*-q(-c* - té-ko-re the cup(that we mentioned)

e-;$e ka-zuk how? e-q(-c* - ká-ko-re which cup?

The examples above use a few suffixes:-bo is often added to nouns to mean something like the-ka means on or at.-ru is a classical version of -la, to or at.-ne means from.

88 Verbs

Verbs• hon Using honorific verbs shows respect towards the subject of the verb:

the Lama gives to me uses the honorific sal; I give uses the non-honorific tang. Honorifics are used when the subject (i.e. the onedoing the verb) is respected: a guest, stranger, elder, lama, etc.

• Verbs not marked hon are non-honorific or for both situations.• tr Transitive • act Active • aux Auxiliary verb• int Intransitive • inac Inactive

zeC#e-dX*n- ∂ik-ches to be alright, enough, okay

dN√*d-dX*n- lep-ches to arrive, reach, get there (int,inac)

[}#-dX*n- †i-ches to ask (tr, act)

y$z-dlên-dX*n- ch˙u-a zhuks-shes to bathe, have a bath (intr, act, butnot hon)

e(-j$e-dX(-dX*n- gozuk cho-ches to begin, start (tr, act)

d[*]-b*n-dX*n- lden shes-shes to believe, trust (tr, inac)

zeen-dX*n- gags-shes to be blocked (e.g. a pass or road)(int, inac)

zw(v-dX*n- k˙ol-ches to boil (int, inac: the water does it)

dNœ(v-dX*n- skol-ches to cook, boil (tr, act: a person doesit)

Nœ≈*-dX*n- skye-ches to be born (int , inac); to give birth(tr, inac)

ete-dX*n- chak-ches to break (tr, act: a person does it)

zye-dX*n- ch˙ak-ches to break (int, inac: a cup does it)

z∑(r-dX*n- k˙yong-ches to bring (tr, act)

i(-dX*n- nyo-ches to buy (tr, act)

zw^c-dX*n- k˙ur-ches to carry (tr, act)

zjen-dX*n- dzaks-shes to climb up, ascend (int, act)

Verbs 89

dt$e-dX*n- chuk-ches 1 to close, shut. 2 aux to allow,permit; make someone do (tr, act)

x(r-dX*n- yongches to come (int, act)

Nœ≈([-dX*n- skyot-ches to come or go (hon, int , act)

r$-dX*n- ngu-ches to cry, weep (int, act)

Ì°n-eor-dX*n- (ß)tses tang-ches to dance (tr, act)

b#-dX*n- shi-ches to die (int, inac)

eC(rn-dX*n- †ongs-shes to die (hon, int, inac)

dX(-dX*n/dt(-dX*n- cho-ches to do, make (tr, act)

fj[-dX*n- dza t-ches to do, make (hon, tr, act)

Ï#-vf-fp(r-dX*n- nyilam t˙ong-ches to dream (tr, inact)

zp%r-dX*n- t˙ung-ches to drink (tr, act)

nC^v-dX*n- ßhul-ches to drive; to run (a machine,programme, etc.) (tr, act)

z[(]-dX*n- don-ches to eat or drink (hon, tr, act)

;-dX*n- za-ches to eat. Irregular past zos, andcommand zo. (tr, act)

zd$[-dX*n- but-ches to fall, to drop (int, inac)

p(d-dX*n- t˙op-ches to find, receive, get (a thing) (tr,inac)

hc-dX*n- ts˙ar-ches 1 to be finished, be used up, end(int, inac). 2 aux already

zeC^d-dX*n- ∂up-ches to be finished, ready, complete(int, inac)

Ë*[-dX*n- zhe t-ches to forget (tr, inac)

vrn-dX*n- langs-shes to get up, stand up (int, act)

eor-dX*n- tang-ches 1 to give (tr, act). 2 aux (expressesspontaneity)

nv-dX*n- sal-ches to give (hon, tr, act. Change anytang-ches phrase to sal for hon)

90 Verbs

y-dX*n- ch˙a-ches to go. Irregular past and commandsong (int, act)

zw(c-dX*n- k˙or-ches 1 to go around. 2 to be overcast(int, inact)

ddn-dX*n- baps-shes to go down, descend (int, act)

h·c-dX*n- ts˙or-ches 1 to hear. 2 to feel something tobe a certain way (tr, inac)

x-o(-dX(-dX*n- yato cho-ches to help, to assist (tr, act)

d(c-dX*n- bor-ches to keep, to put (tr, act)

b*n-dX*n- shes-shes to know (a person, language, etc.)(tr, inac)

‰X^n-x([-dX*n- (r)gyus yot-ches to know (about something) (tr,inac)

[e([-dX*n- (r)got-ches to laugh (int, act)

v(dn-dX*n- lops-shes to learn (tr, inac)

Ô%]-eor-dX*n- zun tang-ches to lie (tr, act)

i]-dX*n- nyan-ches 1 to listen; to obey (tr, act).2 aux to be able (tr, inact)

dVø-dX*n- sta-ches, lta-ches to look at, to watch (tr, act)

dgv-dX*n- tsal-ches to look for, search for, seek (tr,act)

Nø(c-dX*n- stor-ches to lose, to be lost (tr, inac)

f]z-f-dX(-dX*n- nama cho-ches to marry, get married (tr, act)

Nø(-dXn- sto-ches to matter (mostly in neg: it doesn’tmatter) (int, inac)

p%e-dX*n- t˙uk-ches to meet, find, see (a person), totalk on the phone with (tr, inac)

](c-dX*n- nor-ches to mix things up, make a mistake,err

zeC^v-dX*n- ∂ul-ches to move, to walk (int, act)

sX*-dX*n- pe-ches to open (tr, act)

a*-]*-eor-dX*n- pene tang-ches to pay (tr, act)

Verbs 91

n#v-dX*n- sil-ches to read, to study (tr, act)

v$n-dX*n- lus-shes to remain, be left behind (int, inac)

x#[-o^-x(r-dX*n- itu yong-ches to remember (tr, inac)

dbv-dX*n- shal-ches 1 to rinse (tr, act). 2 to havediarrhoea (int, inac)

;*c-dX*n- zer-ches to say (tr, act)

f(v-dX*n- mol-ches to say (hon , tr, act)

v(- lo said (irregular, no endings) (tr,act)

fp(r-dX*n- t˙ong-ches to see (tr, inac)

dg·r-dX*n- tsong-ches to sell (tr, act)

q^-t(-eor-dX*n- kucho tang-ches to shout, to make noise (tr, act)

dNø]-dX*n- stan-ches to show (tr, act)

E√^-eor-dX*n- lu tang-ches to sing (tr, act)

z[ê-dX*n- duk-ches to sit; to stay (int, act)

lên-dX*n- zhuks-shes to sit; to stay (hon, int, act)

ei#[-eor-dX*n- nyit tang-ches to sleep (tr, act)

[a*-c-eor-dX*n- spera tang-ches to speak (tr, act)

d¤^-dX*n- (ß)ku-ches to steal (tr, act)

dNé-dX*n- sgag-ches to stop (e.g. a vehicle) (tr, act)

]*]-dX*n- nen-ches to take, accept, receive (tr, act)

N‘fn-dX*n- (s)nams-shes to take, accept, receive (hon, tr,act)

z∑*c-dX*n- k˙yer-ches to take, take away (tr, act)

]e-b-‰X*d-dX*n- naksha gyap-ches to take a photo (tr, act)

s$[-dX*n- p˙ut-ches to take off (clothes, shoes, etc.) (tr,act)

92 Verbs

dN√d-dX*n- lap-ches to teach; to learn (tr, act)

dnf-dX*n- sam-ches to think (tr, act)

Nœ(c-dX*n- skor-ches to turn something around (tr, act)

m-e(-dX*n- ha go-ches to understand (tr, inac)

Nœ≈&e-dX*n- skyuk-ches to vomit (int , inac or act)

nC#r-dX*n- ßhing-ches to wait (int, act)

[e(n-dX*n- (r)gos-shes 1 to want, to need. 2 (with verbstem) should, must (tr, inac)

z„^-dX*n- †˙u-ches to wash (tr, act)

e(]-dX*n- gon-ches to wear, to put on (tr, act)

zdC#-dX*n- ∂i-ches to write (tr, act)

Verbs with honorific objectsThere are a few verbs that show respect to the object rather than to thesubject of the verb. You may encounter them especially in relation toreligion: If I say I saw the Dalai Lama, I should say jal rather than t˙ong, or ifI offer him something, I should say p˙ul-at rather than tang-at. If I tell aboutspeaking to him, I would use zhu-a t rather than zer-at. These may also be usedin reference to guests, elders, strangers and in public speaking.s$v-dX*n- p˙ul-ches to give (to someone respected), to make

offeringsl^-dX*n- zhu-ches to say, request (to someone respected)

fuv-dX*n- jal-ches to see, visit (something or someonerespected or sacred)

dlr-dX*n- zhangches to make (sacred things or buildings)

EXAMPLESt˙o-re jal-in!tomorrow see-will

See you tomorrow!p(-cn-fuv-x#]!

Verbs 93

nyerangi ts˙an-la chi zhu-chen?your name-for what is-said

What is your name?i*-cr-r#-fh]-v-t#-l^-t*]!

Hemis gonpa jal-a song-pinHemis gonpa see-to went

I went to see Hemis gonpa.m*-f#-[e(]-a-fuv-v-n(r-a#]!

donkyir p˙ul-dukbread (hon) offers

S/he is serving bread (e.g. to guests)z[(]-W#c-s$v-dX*n!

ch˙orten zhangschorten built

A chorten was built.fy([-Ø*]-dlrn!

94 Verbs

Feeling verbs (adjectives in English)Many ideas that are adjectives in English are used as verbs in Ladakhi:zeC#e-dX*n- ∂ik-ches to be okay, enough (int, inac)

rv-dX*n- ngal-ches to be tired (int, inac)

Vø(en-dX*n- (l)toks-shes to be hungry (int, inac)

Nœ(fn-dX*n- skoms -shes to be thirsty (int, inac)

n$]-dX*n- sun-ches to be bored; lonely; homesick (int,inac)

ze(c-dX*n- gor-ches to be late (int, inac)

z∑en-dX*n- k˙yaks-shes to feel cold, to freeze (int, inac)

„*v-dX*n- †˙el-ches to be shy, embarassed, ashamed (int,inac)

zu#en-dX*n- jigs-shes to be afraid, to fear (tr, inac)

zeCrn-dX*n- ∂angs-shes to be full (after eating) (int, inac)

nC(-x(r-dX*n- ßho yong-ches to get angry (tr, inac)

Be careful: with adjectives, má- means very, but with verbs ma- means not.To say very with any of these verbs that have an undesirable connotation,use ßhan-te severely.

These are often used with the verb stem alone, which is actually the pasttense, e.g. ngal I got tired or I am tired. The STEM+te form, which makes apast participle used as an adverb adjective, is also common. The formSTEM+a-rak is the present tense for things being felt.

EXAMPLES

rv-o*-ce ngal-te rak I’m tired.

nC]-o*-rv! ßhante ngal I’m very tired.(lit. I got very tired)

f-rv- ma-ngal I’m not tired,(lit. I didn’t get tired.)

nC]-o*-z∑en-n-ce ßhante k˙yaks-a-rak I’m very cold. I’m freezing.

r-l-nC]-o*-ze(c! ngazha ßhante gor We were very late.

ze(c-o*-dN√*d! gor-te lep Arrived late.

Adjectives 95

AdjectivesMany ideas that are adjectives in English are expressed as verbs in Ladakhi,especially those having to do with feelings, like tired, hungry, thirsty, shy,etc. See ‘Feeling Verbs’ in the previous section for these.

ADVERBS USED WITH ADJECTIVES

f- má- very (attached before adjectives, usuallypronounced a little higher and with stress)

fr-Nø*- mang-ste too, too much

fr-d- manga more (can be used to make any adjectivecomparative)

fr-y*z- mangche-a mostly, usually

ADJECTIVESIf there is a special comparative form of the adjective, it is given in brackets.hr-f- ts˙angma all, every

et#e-a(- chik-po alone

dg·e-a(- (ß)tsok-po bad, dirty, no good ((ß)tsog-a)

y*]-f(- ch˙enmo big (ch˙e-a)

w]-õ*- k˙an†e bitter; also used to specify salt tea

∑*-f(- k˙yemo cheap (k˙ye-a)

ven-f(- lak(s)mo clean (laks-a)

eCr-f(- †ang-mo cold (†ang-a)

dn#v-f(- silmo cool (sil-a)

zu#en-b*n- jigshes dangerous, scary, risky

l#f-a(- zhimpo delicious (zhim-a)

n(-n(- soso different, separate

[qen-a(- kakspo difficult (kaks-a)

Nœf-a(- skampo dry (skam-a)

96 Adjectives

N√-f(- lamo easy (la-a)

Nø(r-a- stongpa empty (stong-a)

e^n-a(- kuspo expensive (kus-a)

fR(en-a- gyokspa fast, quickly; early (gyoks-a)

i^r-r$]- nyungun few, little, a little (nyung-a)

pe-c#r- t˙ak-ring far (t ak-ring-a)

c(f-a(- rompo fat, thick (rom-a)

‰Xv-v- (r)gyalla good ((r)gyalla)

d[*-f(- (l)demo,(r)demo

good, nice, beautiful ((l)de-a)

ú#e- †˙ik good, okay, fine

Nœ≈#[-a(- skitpo happy, fun; pleasant (skid-a)

V†#]-o*- lchin-te heavy (lchi-a ...Don’t say lchin-a; it soundslike urine!)

h]-o*- ts˙an-te hot (also of spicy food) (ts a-a)

h[-a- ts˙atpa hot (i.e. uncomfortably warm), sweaty

we-t]- k˙ak-chan important (k˙ak-ch˙e-a)

Nƒ≈(]-a/f(- (s)nyonba/-mo insane, mad, crazy, mentally ill (m/f)

o#r-o#r- ting-ting level, flat

vn-f#-vf- las-mi-lam lazy

xr-f(- yangmo light in weight (yang-a)

c#r-f(- ringmo long, tall, far (ring-a)

fr-a(- mangpo many, much (mang-a)

i*-f(- nyemo near, close (nye-a)

n(-f- soma new

Adjectives 97

›[-a/f(- (r)gatpo/-mo old (of people), elderly (m/f) ((r)gad-a)

È#r-a- (ß)nyingpa old (of things, buildings, etc.) ((ß)nying-a)

y[-a(- ch˙atpo ragged, torn, dressed like a hippy

sXê-a(- ch˙ukpo rich, wealthy (ch˙ug-a)

g·en- tsoks same, similar

q^-v*-z- kule-a slow, slowly, carefully

y$r-r$]- ch˙ungun small (ch˙ung-a)

b*[-t]- shet-chan strong, powerful

frc-f(- ngarmo sweet (ngar-a)

nC]-o*- ßhan-te tough, severe, firm. (With verbs like to behungry, etc., ßhan-te means very) (ßha-a)

d[*]-d- ldenba true

c#]-t]- rinchan valuable

[}(]-f(- †onmo warm (†o-a)

b*[-f*[- shet-met weak

wfn-d;r- k˙am-zang well, feeling well

c√(]-a- lonpa wet (lon-a)

COLOURS

]e-a(- nakpo black, dark, etc.

N®(]-a(- ngonpo blue (and the green of plants)

V¨r-e^- ljangku green

Nƒê-a(- (s)mukpo brown (and some shades of violet)

[fc-a(- marpo red

[qc-a(- karpo white

n*c-a(- serpo yellow

98 Post-positions

Post-positions (English prepositions)In Ladakhi, the words that function like English prepositions go after theirobject, so they can be called post-positions. English has one post-position:ago, as in three years ago. Otherwise, English has only prepositions: after awhile, between two stones, before breakfast.

For most post-positions, the object is in the possessive case—that is, thenoun before the post-position has the -i ending. A few post-positions follownouns with -ne from, nang and/with or no ending. Given in brackets is themost common ending for the object of the post-position. See the examples.Nœ(c-v- (-i) skorla about, concerning

Ø#r-]n- (-i) (ß) tingne after

N®]-v- (-i) (ß)nganla before, ago

‰Xd-d- (-i) (r)gyaba behind

x(e-e- (-i) yo(g)a below, under

ln-o*- (-i) zhaste due to, because of

f-]*- ma-ne except

]n- -ne from

f[^]-v- (-i) dunla in front of, next to

sX#z- (-i) p˙ia for, in order to

]r-r- (-i) nanga in, inside

z#- e#- -i of (possessive ending)

q- (-i) ka on, at

w-p(e-e- (-i) k˙a t˙o(g)a on top of, on the roof

sX#-v(e-e- (-i) p˙ilo(g)a outside

sc-v- (-ne) p˙arla since

nr- (-i) sang than (in comparisons)

z-v- -a/ -la to, at, on (dative ending)

Post-positions 99

h$e-a- ts˙ukpa, ts˙akpa until; by (a future time); as long as

fif-a(- (-nang) nyampo with, together with

EXAMPLESlo sum-i (ß)nganlayear three-of before

Three years agov(-en$f-f#-N®]-v!

naning-ne p˙ar lalast-year-from since

Since last year]-]#r-]n-sc-v!

lo chig-i ßtingneyear one-of after

After one yearv(-et#e-e#-Ø#r-]n!

gonp-e nangagonpa-of inside

Inside the gonpa[e(]-az#-]r-r!

k˙angpe dunlahouse-of in-front

In front of the house.wr-az#-f[^]-v!

ch˙uts˙ot sum-i (ß)nganla lephour three-of before arrived

I arrived three hours ago.y$-h·[-en$f-f#-N®]-v-dN√*d!

ch˙arpe zhaste, dukspinrain-of because stayed

I stayed because of the rain.yc-az#-ln-o*-z[ên-a#]!

sonam-i p˙ia k˙yongspinSonam-of for brought

I brought it for Sonam.dn([-]fn-z#-sX#z-z∑(rn-a#]!

sum ma-ne metthree except don’t-have

I have only three (lit I don’t have but three)en$f-f-]*-f*[!

te skorla spera tangatthat about talk am-giving

I’m speaking about that.[*z#-Nœ(c-v-[a*-c-eor-r[!

100 Conjunctions

Conjunctions[r- nang and. Can link nouns or clauses. It is pronounced

tang formally and in songs.xr- yang and; again. Links clauses.

xr-zr- -yang, -ang also, too , connected to the previous word

t#z-;*c-]- chía-zerna because

x#]-]zr- innang, lekin but, however. Urdu lekin is very common.

xr-]- ya, yang-na or. Not used in either-or questions. Used instatements like Everyone drank tea or coffee, butnot in questions like Would you like tea orcoffee?

Either/or questionsFor either/or questions, the first option is formed as a yes-or-no question andthe second option directly after it, without any conjunction:yod-a, met?is-there? is-not

Is there any or not?x([-[-f*[!

dug-ada, ch˙a-at? stay? go

Are you staying or going?z[%e-e[-[-yz[!

ha-go-a, ma-go?understood? not-understood

Did you understand or not?m-e(-z-f-e(

kofi don-ad-a, cha?coffee are-you-drinking, tea

Would you like tea or coffee?q(-s#-z[(]-]-[-u!

Exclamations & wishes 101

Exclamations & wishesdqC-b#n-d[*-v*en! †ashi deleks Congratulations (for weddings, etc.);

Good luck (e.g. for New Year)zd$f-dc-c#e bumbarik Congratulations (for weddings, etc.)

h°-c#r-b#e ts˙er ing-shik May you have a long life. (Used likeBless you when someone sneezes, oras a form of thanks)

p%en-Ë*-y*! t˙uk-je-ch˙e Thank you. (Formal; not for Thanksfor the tea situations, where you canjust say ju-le)

,-y$-y$! a-ch˙u-ch˙u Brrr! (from cold)

,-h-h! a-ts˙a- ts˙a Ow! (from heat or pain)

zu$-v*! ju-le 1 Hello. 2 Good-bye. 3 Thank you.

zu$-m*! ju-he 1 Thanks. 2 ’Bye. (informal)

q-n! kasa Yes; I see (respectful)

z([-zu$! ot-ju Yes, please

zu$-zu$! ju-ju Please (insisting)

[q(]-fy(e-en$f! Konchok-sum The Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma andSangha. (Used like By God! or I swear it’s true! thoughpious people consider it swearing.)

W*-W*-n(-n(-Vµ-‰Xv-v(! Kyi-kyi-so-so-lhargyalo May the gods be victorious!(Victory cry, on reaching the top of a pass or to expressgroup excitement, etc.)

102 Days and time

Days and time[^n- tus time

y$-h·[- ch˙u-ts˙ot, Urdu gan†a hour

le- zhak day

e[^]-le- dun-zhak, Urdu hafta week

:√-d- lda, ldza month

v(- lo year

N®-o(e- ngatok morning

i#-f- nyima day-time (literally sun)

sX#-o(e- p˙itok evening, afernoon

fh]- ts˙an night

Today, yesterday, next year, etc.

z[#-c#r- diring today

p(-cn- t˙o-re 1 tomorrow. 2 soon, coming

f[r- dang 1 yesterday. 2 recently

]rn-v- nangs(-la) day after tomorrow

wc-fh]-le- k˙ar-ts˙an-zhak day before yesterday

]-]#r- naning last year

[-v(- ta-lo this year

]r-f(- nangmo next year

v(-l^r- lo-zhung every year

Now, never, sometimes, etc.

c*n-zez-c*- resga-re sometimes

te-v]- chag-lan every other day, alternate days

Days and time 103

le-[r- zhak-tang every day, always

f-]*- máne never (with negative verb)

z[e-n- daksa now, right now

[-c$r- darung still, yet

e;(-o*- zote at last, finally, after a delay

z-Vø- alta in a little while, later today

[-c*- da-re a little while ago, earlier today

Telling timeYou’ll hear English time or Hindi ga∂i as often as ch˙uts˙ot hour or tus time.ch˙uts˙ot tsam song? hours how-many went

What time is it?y$[-h·[-gf-n(r-!

sum songthree went

It’s three o'clock.en$f-n(r-!

nyis nang p˙e t two and half

two-thirtyei#n-[r-sX*[!

sum ch˙a-la chonga dukthree go-to fifteen is

It’s quarter to three (2:45).en$f-y-v-dt(-V®-z[ê

sum nang mina† chonga dukthree and minute 15 is

It’s 3:15.en$f-[r-f#-]õ-dt(-V®-z[ê

k˙ong chig-i-ka lep they one-at arrived

They arrived at one.w(r-et#e-e#-q-dN√*d!

ngatang tsam-i-ka ch˙en?we how-many-at will-go

At what time will we go?r-or-gf-f#-q-yz#]!

dun nang p˙et-i-ka ch˙enseven and half-at will go

We'll go at seven thirty.e[^]-[r-sX*[-[#-q-yz#]!

Days of the weekThese are the Tibetan/Ladakhi days of the week, but many people only usethe English weekday names.

104 Days and time

e;z-i#-f- za nyima Sunday

e;z-:√-d- za-ldawa Monday

e;z-[f#e-fc- za-migmar Tuesday

e;z-Vµe-a- za-lhakpa Wednesday

e;z-s$c-d$- za-p˙urbu Thursday

e;z-a-nrn- za-pasang Friday

e;z-Nå*]-a- za-spenba Saturday

For the months, Ladakhis use Hindi/Urdu versions of the English names, ornumber the Tibetan lunar months starting from the Tibetan New Year.

Seasons

[aX#[- spit spring

[dXc- yar summer

Nø(]- ston autumn

[e^]- (r)gun winter

Religion 105

Religiony(n- ch˙os 1 religion. 2 Dharma.

y(n-n#v-dX*n- ch˙os sil-ches to pray, esp. reading prayers

BuddhismThe vocabulary of Buddhism in Ladakh is basically Tibetan. Most lay-people won’t know the Sanskrit terms that you may know, such as Dharma.d(-õ-( ]r-a- bo†o, nangpa Buddhist

c#]-a(-y*- rinpoch˙e high lama, esp. reincarnated

‰Xv-d-c#]-a(-y*- gyal-wa rinpoch˙e His Holiness the Dalai Lama orother very high lamas

,-]*-u(-f(- ane chomo nun

D√-f-eC˚-a-[e*-N√(r- lama, †aba, ge long monk (lama means high teacher,but many people use it for monk.)

f-û#- ma-ne mani walls, stones, wheels, andchortens may be called ma-ne

[e(]-a- gonpa monastery

fy([-Ø*]- ch˙orten chorten, stupa

fy([-wr- ch˙ot-k˙ang house temple, shrine room

fyfn- ch˙ams religious masked dances bymonks at annual festivals

[c-V†(e- tar-chok prayer flags

f-û#-o(]-dX*n- ma-ne ton-ches to chant mantras

N´(f-‰Xd-dX*n- (z)gom gyap-ches to meditate (tr, act)

sXe-s$v-dX*n- ch˙ak p˙ulches to do prostrations

,(±fû#a{ƒ*P! Om mani padme hum In this Sanskrit mantra forChenrezig, each syllable has a deep meaning. There aremany interpretations∗, but the literal translation is not assignificant as its power as a mantra.

∗ But Hail the Jewel in the Lotus is not even close!

106 Religion

IslamThe vocabulary of Islam in Ladakh is basically Arabic and Urdu.f$-n$v-f]-w-y*- Musulman, k˙a-che Muslim

w(-[- K˙oda Allah, God

f-N¨#[- masjid, mazhit mosque

]-f;- namaz, nemaz prayer

cf-;]- Ramzan Ramadan, the month of fasting

,#[- id Id, special festivals in the year

m-u#- haji a person who has made the greatHaj pilgrimage to Mecca

f$-mc-cf- Muharram event of mourning in the Muslimmonth of Muharram

Christianity

f-b#-q-a- Mashikapa Christian

[^n-y*]- tus-chen Christmas

Local spirits

Vµ- lha spirit, local god

Vµ-p(- lhato shrine for local lha, usually erectedon high places

Q√^- lu underground spirits

Vµ-z[}*- lan∂e monster, ghost

Health and emergencies 107

Health and emergenciesAll doctors in Ladakh and some Amchis (traditional doctors) know English,so this section is mainly for village or trekking emergencies.

The most likely problem is diarrhoea, as many foreign visitors getstomach problems. The altitude may make you feel weaker than youexpected with a minor illness, and you may have to rest for a few days.Some people swear that if you eat nothing but rice-soup (∂as-t˙uk), you willget well faster.;$c-f(- zumo illness or pain

nC]-o*- ßhante severe

Nƒ]- sman medicine

h[- ts˙at fever

yf-a- ch˙ampa a cold or flu

dbv-][- shal-na t diarrhoea (literally rinsing disease)

qd-;#- kabz i constipation

NI#r-w- nying-k˙a heartburn, indigestion, acidity

Use rak for telling about yourself; duk for telling about others: ch˙ampa rakmeans I have a cold; ch˙ampa duk means you see that someone else has acold. See the next section for body parts.(...)-a ch˙a-go-she-rak(...)-to go-should-feel

I/we should go to the (...) (----)v-y-[e(n-dX*n-ce

(haspi†al) (∂ak†ar-ika) (amchi-ka)

mn-a#-õv- (hospital)ùe-õc- (doctor’s),f-t#- (amchi’s)

zumo ßhante rak pain severe feel

I have very bad pain/ I am very ill.;$c-f(- nC]-o*- ce

ch˙ampa rak a-cold feel

I have a cold.zyf-a-ce

†odpa-a zumo rag-ga?stomach-to sick do-you-feel?

Do you have a stomach problem?eC([-az-;$c-f(-ce-e

108 Health and emergencies

†odpa-a zumo rakstomach-to sick feel

I have stomach problem (or pain, etc.)eC([-az-;$c-f(-ce

skyuksvomited

I/he/she vomited.dNœ≈&en!

chang za -che mi-rakanything to-eat don’t-feel

I don’t feel like eating.t#zr-;-dX*n-f#-ce

ruspa ch˙akbone broke

The bone broke.c$n-a-ye

(ß)kangpa mologa songfoot rolled-over went

(My/her/his) ankle twisted.f(-v(e-e-n(r-

∂ul nyan-che(s) mirakwalk to-be-able don’t-feel

I can’t walk.zeC^v-i]-dX*n-f#-ce

zumo i-ne yong-a-rakpain here-from is-coming

The pain comes from here.;$c-f(-z#-]n-x(r-r-ce

†˙ak mangpo bing-dukblood much comes-out

It’s bleeding a lot.„e-fr-a(-zd#r-z[ê

nge †˙opa á -ne yot my friend there is

My friend is over there.rz#-sC(-a-z-]n-x([!

yato dzad-nyan-in-a -lehelp do-can-will

Could you please help?x-o(-fj[-i]-x#]-]-v*!

zumo gyal-a?illness got-better?

Are you better now?;$c-f(-‰Xv-v!

gyalrecovered

Got better, recovered.‰Xv!

Body parts 109

Body partse;$en-a(- zukspo body

fe(- go head

e[(r- (l)dong face

f#e- mik eye

’-fy(e- namchok ear

Nœç- ßha hair

w k˙a mouth

n(- so tooth

[^-[^- tutu throat

¤r-a- (ß)kangpa foot, leg

ve-a- lakpa hand, arm

h‹en- ts˙igs joint; ankle; wrist

E√(-d- lo-wa lungs

¤*[-a- (ß)ketpa waist; back (in reference to back pain)

c$n-a- ruspa bone

n*fn- sems mind, heart

NI#r- (s)nying heart (the organ)

eC([-a- †odpa stomach, belly

‰X^-f- (r)gyuma intestine

fy#]-a- ch˙inpa liver

110 Agriculture

Agriculturel#r-d[-a- zhing-batpa farmer

l#r- zhing field

hn- ts˙as garden

Ô‹r- zing, rdzing pond, reservoir

x$c-d- yura irrigation canal

n(]- son seed

v$[- lut manure, fertiliser

dt(n-f-v$[- chosma lut chemical fertiliser

zd$-Nƒ]- bu-sman pesticide

c]-zpe- rantak grain mill

Tools

w*f- k˙em shovel

;(c-d- zora sickle

w-e;*- k˙a-ze rake

ar-q-d[- pang-ka, ba t tools for flattening earth

Nø-c#- stari axe

g°-a(- tsepo basket (esp. the Ladakhibackpack-basket)

Agriculture 111

Plants

]n- nas barley

eC(- †o wheat

z(v- ol alfalfa

Ì˚- (ß)tsa plants, fodder plants, hay

Ì˚-r]- (ß)tsa-ngan weed

f*-o(e- mentok flower

Trees

V†r-f- lchangma 1 tree. 2 willow tree

x$-v[- yulat Lombardy poplar (tall straight type)

[dXc-a- yarpa poplar (wider type)

bê-a- shukpa juniper, pencil cedar

ve-h$en- lak-tsugs sapling, newly planted tree

Agricultural verbs

l#r-Ï(-dX*n- zhing (ß)moches to plough while planting in spring

l#r-v(e-dX*n- zhing lok-ches to plough after harvest

n-d(]-eod-dX*n- son tapches to sow seed

y$-eor-dX*n- ch˙u tangches to irrigate

Â-dX*n- (ß)ngaches to harvest

w(-ex$n-Nœ(c-dX*n- k˙u-yus skorches to thresh

ya-li tong lamo le Sing: make it easy!yang sol tong lamo le Once again, easy does it!

(not literal, varies from place to place)

112 Animals

Animalsd-E√r- E√r-õ(- balang / lang†o cow / bull

exe- zdC#-f(- yak / ∂imo yak (m / f)

fj·- fj·-f(- dzo / dzomo cross of yak & cattle (m/f)

Â-d(r- (ß)nga(b)ong camel

d(r-d$- bung(b)u donkey

Ø- (ß)ta horse

c-f- rama goat

v$e- luk sheep

∑#- k˙yi dog

dX#-v- bila cat

i- nya fish

n-d#-v#e- sabilik mouse, rat

›v-t#e-Ìrn-a- galchig, ltsangspa lizard

zd$-g‹e- bu-tsik bug (any kind, including insects,spiders, worms, etc.)

Animals 113

Wildlife

c#-[˚en- ridaks catch-all term for any wild goat or sheep-like animal, often mis-translated deer

Nœ≈#]- skyin ibex (mountain goat)

ei]- nyan Tibetan Argali sheep

b-s(- shapo Tibetan Urial sheep

e]z-a(- napo blue sheep, bharal

eg·n- tsos Tibetan antelope (endangered because itshair is used for valuable shah-toosh)

[e(-d- go-a Tibetan gazelle (very rare and endangered)

ŒXr- kyang wild ass

b-d- sha-wa deer (not found in Ladakh)

et]- (ß)chan, shan snow leopard

ex#-/[dX#- i lynx

Nå≈r-q^- shangku wolf

k-g°- wa-tse fox

sc-d- p˙ara dhole, a wild dog-like species

[}*]-f(- †enmo bear (As bears are found in Zangskar butnot central Ladakh, many Ladakhis knowonly the Hindi word bhalu)

sX#-d- p˙i-a marmot

c#-d(r- ri(b)ong rabbit, hare

Ôd-c- zabra, rdzabra pika, mouse-hare

Vµ-∑#-f(- lhakimo weasel

114 Animals

Birds

dX#-a-dX- chipa, cha bird

dX-„^r-„^r- cha †˙ung-†˙ung crane (as in Black-necked-crane)

y%-nCe- ch˙u-ßhak,ch˙unbiya

wild duck

E√e- lak eagle, vulture (specific names vary)

rr-a- ngang-pa goose (as in Bar-headed-goose)

„- †˙a hawk, falcon

dX-f(-dX-s(- chamo/ chap˙o hen, chicken/ rooster, cock

,$-o^-o^-g°- utututse hoopoe

V†^r-q- lchunka red-billed chough, jackdaw

q-eCr-d$-„#[w-o-„-d(-

ka†ang pu†it,k˙ata †˙a-o

magpie

nCe-a- ßhakpa partridge

s$c-e(]- p˙urgon pigeon

s(-c(e- p˙orok raven

The names for wild birds are different in every village, but given here arewhat seem to be the most standard or common names.

Trekking 115

Trekkingi-yul-i minga chi zer-anok?this-village-of name what is-said

What is the name of this village?z#-x$v-v#-f#r-v-t#-;*c-c-](e

yul ßtingma tsam-zhig t˙akring inok?village next how-much long-way is?

How far to the next village?x$v-Ø#r-fz-gf-l#e-pe-c#r-x#]-](e

teru ha†i yod-kyaga?there shop is-probably?

Is there a shop there?[*-c$-m-õ#-x([-We-e

ch˙uts˙ot tsam-zhik?hour about-how-many

How many hours?y$-h·[-gf-l#e

(---)-i lam ka-ne inok?(---) of path where is

Which is the way to (---)?(---)z#-vf-e-]n-x#]-](e

i-lam-bo karu ch˙anok?this-path-the where goes

Where does this road go?z#-vf-d(-e-c$-yz-](e

lam norroad erred

(I/We)’ve lost the path.vf-](c!

lam-bo stan-in-a?road-the show-is?

Could you show the way?vf-d(-Vø]-x#]-]!

lam (ß)tsokpo inog-a?road bad is-it?

Is the road/path bad?vf-dg·e-a(-x#]-](e-e

lam †˙ik inokroad fine is

The road/path is fine.vf-ú#e-x#]-](e

ka(ru) skyod-at?where go (hon)

Where are you going?e-c$-Nœ≈([-[[!

(----)-a skyod-ad-a?(----)-to go?

Are you going to (---)?(---)v-Nœ≈([-[[-[!

nyampo ∂ul-na ∂ig-ga? together go-if ok?

May I go with you?fif-a(-zeC^v-]-zeC#e-e

nam loks-te skyod-at?when returning come

When will you come back?]f-v(e-Nø*-Nœ≈([-[[!

116 Trekking

(ß)ta ka-ne t˙obat-∂o?horse where-from get-maybe

Where might I get a horse?Ø-e-]n-p(d-d[-zeC(

t˙ung-ch˙u ka-ne yot?drinking-water where-from is

Where is there drinking water?zp%r-y$-e-]n-x([!

When asking directions it’s safer to ask open-ended questions, because theanswer to ‘yes-or-no’ questions is more often yes than correct, especially ifthe person doesn’t really understand you.

To call outside a house, try calling azhang-le uncle until someoneappears. Remember to add -le to sentences, for respect.

One Pen!‘one pen’ ma-zer one pen don’t-say

Don’t say ‘one pen.’k]-a*]-f-;*c!

‘one pen’ zer-ches (ß)tsokpo inok one pen to-say bad is

It’s bad to say ‘one pen.’k]-a*]-;*c-dX*n-dg·e-a(-x#]-](e

ju-le zer-ches (r)gyalla inokju-le to-say good is

It’s better to say jullay.zu$-v*-;*c-dX*n-‰Xv-v-x#]-](e

Some notes about visiting villagesAlthough it’s easy to trek without ponies and guides, there aren’t many tea-stalls, guest-houses or shops out in the villages. In fact, for the remotevillages it’s probably best if trekkers carry all their own stuff from Leh sothey don’t eat up all the food, or their animals eat all the fodder. Manyvillages just manage to be self-sufficient, but the recent increase in trekkershas caused shortages for local people.

If you stay with a friend (or an acquaintance’s cousin) or if you becomefriends with your hosts, they may refuse money. You’ll feel like less of afreeloader if you’ve brought some gifts. Useful things like tea and sugar arealways welcome. Fruit, vegetables and eggs are great where unavailable,such as high villages off the road, or in winter, but chocolate, coffee andcheese are unfamiliar and not always appreciated. Torches, kitchen tools orother utensils make excellent gifts if you can carry them.

Remember that Ladakhis expect most people to do dzangs, which meansrefusing offers once or twice before accepting. The normal way ofpresenting gifts is to put them on a table and not make any fuss aboutpresenting them, thus avoiding the whole drama of dzangs.

Trekking 117

Directions

Vµ(-sX(en-v- lho ch˙oks (-la) south

bc-sX(en-v- shar ch˙oks (-la) east

dXr-sX(en-v- chang ch˙oks (-la) north

]^d-sX(en-v- nup ch˙oks (-la) west

R*]- gyen (-la) uphill

p%c- t˙ur (-la) downhill

w-eCr- k˙a†ang (-a) straight; across from

ex(]-f- yoma (yon-ch˙oks-la) left

exn-a- yaspa (yas-ch˙oks-la) right

v(en-o*- lokste back, returning

pe-c#r- t˙ak-ring far

i*-f(- nyemo near

As with any location, add -a or -la after the word to mean to that direction,or -ne to mean from that direction.

EXAMPLESyon-ch˙oks-la skyotleft-side-to go

Go to the left.ex(]-sX(en-v-Nœ≈([!

k˙a†ang-a skyotstraight-to go

Go straight.w-eCr-v-Nœ≈([!

t˙ur- la cha-atdown-to am-going

(I/ we) are going downhill.p%c-v-yz[!

t˙ur-ne yong-dukdown-from is-coming

(s/he/they) are coming from downhill.p%c-]n-x(r-z[ê

hemis-ne loks-te yong-atHemis-from returning am-coming

(I/ we) are coming back from Hemis.m*-f#-]n-v(e-Nø*-x(r-r[!

118 Trekking

Landmarks

c#- ri mountain

c#-fe(- ri-go mountain top, peak

ern-c#- kang-ri glacier, snow-covered peak

v- la pass

v-Ì- lartsa base camp of a pass

s$- p˙u high mountain pasture, top of avalley

pr- t˙ang flat area, plain, plateau

Når- spang grass, grassy area

vf- lam path, road

‰X-vf- (r)gya-lam big road (also jib-lam i.e. jeep-road)

f-û#- ma-ne Mani wall,prayer wheel orchorten

;f-a- zampa bridge

eC(e-a(- †okpo stream

egrn-a(- ltsangs-po river

h·- ts˙o lake, pond (natural)

Ô‹r- zing, rdzing reservoir, pond (man-made)

y$-f#e- ch˙u-mik spring

a$-v$- pulu shepherds’ hut

i*-vf- nyelam shortcut

zdz-d(- ba-o cave

v$r-a- lungpa valley

Trekking 119

Weather & sky

e]f-fwz- nam(ka) sky; weather

yc-a- ch˙arpa rain

w- k˙a snow

c√^rn-a(- lungspo wind

ern- kangs ice

eC#d-z∑en- †ip-kyak shade, shadow

y$-v(e- ch˙u-lok flood

c√^r-[}e- lung-rak wind storm

e]f-zw(c-dX*n- nam k˙orches to be overcast

e]f-pr-dX*n- nam t˙ang-ches to be clear

yc-a-dor-z[ê ch˙arpa tang-duk It’s raining.

w- dorn! k˙a tangs It snowed.

eCr-f(-ce †angmo rak It’s cold.

h[-a-ce ts˙atpa rak It’s hot.

i#-f- nyima sun

�√-R#c-f(- lda-gyirmo moon

Nœc-f- skarma star

Nåç#]- ßhin cloud

120 Transportation

Bus & taxi traveli-bas-bo karu k˙yer-anok?this-bus-the where take-will

Where does this bus go?z-dZn-a(-e-c$-z∑*c-c-](e

i-bas-bo (---)-la k˙yera-nog-ga?this-bus-the (---)-to take-will?

Does this bus go to (---)?z#-dZn-a(------v-z∑*c-c-](e-e

ka-bas-po (---)-la k˙yer-anok?which-bus (---)-to take-will

Which is the bus to (---)?e-dZn-a(-----v-z∑*c-c-](e

bas-po nam leb-anok?bus-the when arrive-will

When will the bus come?dZn-a(-]f-dN√*d-d-](e

bas ka-ne k˙yer-anok?bus where-from take-will

Where does the bus leave from?dZn-e-]n-z∑*c-c-](e

(---)-la rin tsam inok?(---)-to price how-much is

How much is it to (---)?------v-c#]-gf-x#]-](e

(---)-la ch˙a-at(---)-to go

I’m going to (---).-------v-yz[!

ika sgag-salhere stop-give

Please stop here.z#-q-dNé-nv!

lok-ste ch˙a-goshes-rakreturning go-should-feel

I have to go back.v(e-Nø*-y-[e(n-dX*n-ce

(naksha)-i p˙ia ga∂i sgag-a-dzat(picture)-of for vehicle stop-(hon)

(dechot)

(k˙ar ji)

(cha)

Please stop for (a picture)(]e-b)z#-sX#z-e-ù#-dNé-e-fj[!

(toilet) d[*-Nå≈([-(food) wc-u#(tea) u-

tsapik ku-le-a ßhul-a-dza t, ju-jua-little slowly drive-(hon) please-please

Please drive a little slower.g-a#e-q-v*z-nCv-v-fj[-zu$-zu$!

i-yul-i minga chi zer-chen?this-village-of name what is-said

What is the name of this village?z#-x$v-v#-f#r-v-t#-;*c-t*]!

Transportation 121

Air traveldaksa kampyu†ar ∂ul-a -miduknow computer work-doesn’t

The computer is down now.z[e-n-qf-a#x$-õc-zeCv-v-f#-z[e

nyeri ming kampyu†ari nanga midukyour name computer-of in isn’t

Your name is not in the computer.i*-c#-f#r-qf-a#x$-õc-c#-]r-r-f#-z[e

we†ing lisika rgya-nang-dunchuwaiting list-on hundred-and-seventy

Number 170 on the waiting list.k*-õ#r-v#n-n#-q-d‰X-[r-d[^]-dt$!

jás-bo kensel songplane-the cancelled went

The flight was cancelled.uZn-d(-q*]-n*v-n(r-!

ma∂énnot-admitted

(I) didn’t get on (the flight).f-z[}*]!

Marketd-;c- bazar market, area with shops

c#]- rin price, value

e#c-f(- kirmo rupee

a*-]*- pene 1 money. 2 paise

az(- pao 250 g

sX*[- p˙et half

c#]-y*]- rinchen valuable, expensive

e^n-a(- kuspo expensive

w*-f(- k˙yemo cheap

b^-e^- shugu 1 paper. 2 paper or plastic bag

For the numbers, see Chapter 3.

122 House & village

Around the house & villagex$v- yul village

wr-a- k˙angpa house

x(e-e- yo(g)a downstairs; down, under

w-p(e-e- k˙ato(g)a upstairs; over

]r- nang indoors; room;

sX#-v(e-e- p˙iloga outdoors; euphemism for toilet

d[*-Nå≈([- dechot toilet

Ladakhis are like my old school-teachers: they are never seen entering thetoilet. Especially in mixed company, it is not done to announce I’m going tothe toilet. If asked, just vaguely say you’re going outside, or if out walkingsay, You go ahead, I’ll catch up later nga kule-a yongat. If the toilet doordoesn’t lock (or indeed, exist) the system is to give a little cough rather thanshouting Yo! I’m in here! People don’t usually wait outside the door butwander discreetly off. And men do not generally urinate in public unlessthey are very Indianized or drunk.

Renting a roomnang-zhig t˙obches yot-∂o-a? room-a to-find is-maybe?

Can I get a room?]r-l#e-p(d-dX*n-x([-zeC(z!

k˙arji t˙obches yot-∂o-a? food to-find is-maybe?

Can I get some food?wc-u#-p(d-dX*n-x([-zeC(z!

chi yot-na ∂ikwhat have-if is-okay

Whatever you’ve got is fine.t#-x([-]-zeC#e

zhag-a rin tsam inok?day-for price how-much is

What is the price per day?le-e-c#]-gf-x#]-](e

zhag tsam-i phiaday how-many-of for

For how many days?le-gf-f#-sX#z!

zhag (nyis)-i phiaday (two)-of for

For (two) days.le--------z#-sX#z!

House & village 123

(Tuesday) zhag-a loktse yonga t(Tuesday) day-on returning am-coming

I/we are coming back on (Tuesday).--------le-v-v(e-Nø*-x(r-r[!

cha lak bor-na ∂íg-a-le?luggage keep-if is-it-okay?

Can I/we keep baggage here?t-ve-d(c-]-zeC#e-e

Bedroom

fv-n- malsa bed, bedding

Nø]- stan carpet, mattress

b-a(n-c-;-x#- shapos/ raza i heavy quilt

n#v#-a#r- sliping sleeping bag

qf-dv- kambal blanket

t-[c- chadar bed-sheet

NIn-zd(v- (s)nyas-bol pillow

q^-v#e- kulik lock; key

f(f-d-o#- mombati candle

d#-u#v- bijil torch, flashlight

t-c#- chari bed-bug

Kitchen

dX]-n- chansa kitchen

pd- t˙ap stove (traditional or gas)

n#-õ(- si-†o stove (kerosene stove)

n-fc- sa-mar kerosene; diesel

;rn-d$- zang-bu pot

p-v#- t˙ali plate

q(-c*- ko-re cup

124 House & village

p%c-frn- t˙urmangs spoon (There is no word for fork)

eC#- †i knife

t(e-g°- choktse table, esp. the low Ladakhi type (anddon’t sit on it!)

WaterMany houses, especially guesthouses with piped bathrooms, use twodifferent sources of water: one for drinking, from a clean water supply, andone for washing, from the nearest stream or canal. If you are filtering orboiling your own water, make sure you start with drinking water, not withpossibly soapy canal water.i(b)o t˙ung-ch˙u inoga?this drink-water is?

Is this the drinking water?z#-d(-zp%r-y$-x#]-](e-e

t˙ung-ch˙u ka-ne t˙ob-anok?drink-water where-from find-will?

Where can I get drinking water?zp%r-y$-e-]n-p(d-d-](e

ch˙u-a zhugs-na, karu cho-gos?water-to enter-if, where do-should

Where can I have a bath?y$z-lên-]-e-c$-dX(-[e(n!

koslak †˙u-na, karu cho-gos?clothing wash-if, where wash-should

Where should I wash my clothes?e(n-ve-z„^-]-e-c$-dX(-[e(n!

]v-q- nalka water tap, pipe

zp%r-y$- t˙ung-ch˙u drinking water

dv-õ#]- bal†in bucket

y$-[}(]-f(- ch˙u †onmo warm water

n-d(]- sabon soap

Food & drink 125

Food & drinkwc-u#- k˙arji food

z[(]-dor- don-tang food (hon)

s#X-f]]- ch˙inan breakfast

fjc-c- dzara lunch

[e(r-;]- gongzan supper, dinner

Barley

]n- nas barley

Âf-sX*- p˙e, (ß)ngam-p˙e roasted barley flour.

w(-ve- k˙olak ngamp˙e mixed into a dough with tea

sX*-fc- p˙emar sweet dough made of ngamp˙e, tea,sugar, butter and sometimes cheese

u-nC^v- cha-ßhul ngamp˙e mixed into a porridge with tea

a-d- paba several kinds of flour cooked togetherinto a dough

x(n- yos roasted barley or wheat grains

Wheat

eC(- †o wheat

de-sX*- pak-p˙e wheat flour; dough of wheat flour

o-e#- ta(g)i any bread made of wheat

z[(]-W#c- don-kyir bread, biscuit (hon)

d-c*ù- bre∂ store-bought white bread

wf-d#c- k˙ambir round leavened bread

o-e#-nC-f(- tagi ßhamo flat bread, chapati, wheat tortilla

p%e-a- t˙uk-pa soup, often with wheat noodles

126 Food & drink

f(e-f(e- mok-mok momos, stuffed dumplings (usu. meat)

Nœ≈&- skyu thumb-pressed noodle stew withpotatoes or turnips

Other basic foods

ú%v- †˙ul egg

[v- dal lentils, any dried peas or beans

b- sha meat

zdCn- ∂as rice

zdCn-p%e ∂as-t˙uk rice soup, good for bad stomachs

Nåen- spaks vegetable or meat dish (eaten withk˙olak, tagi, rice or paba)

fc-]e- mar-nak cooking oil, specifically mustard oil

Dairy products

z(-f- oma milk

l(- zho yoghurt (curd in Indian English)

fc- mar 1 butter. 2 any oil

[c-d- tara buttermilk: the sour non-fat liquid leftfrom making butter

v-d(- labo cottage cheese made from tara

sX^c-a*- ch˙urpe dried labo cheese (makes vegetariansoups hearty)

Vegetables

h·[-f- ts˙odma vegetable, esp. leafy veg.

d]-e(-d#- ban-gobi cabbage

n-ce-o^c-f]- sarak turman carrot

s$v-e(-d#- p˙ul-gobi cauliflower

f(r-e(v- mong-gol chard

Food & drink 127

N´(e-a- (z)gogpa garlic

dg·r- tsong onion

nC]-f- ßhanma peas

,-v$- alu potato

v-s$e- labuk radish

n-v[- salat 1 Chinese cabbage.2 Indian salad of sliced tomatos, etc.

a-ve- palak spinach

õ-f-õc- †ama†ar tomato

i^r-f- nyungma turnip

Fruits & nuts

q^-b^- kushu apple

t$-v#- chuli apricot

s-o#r- p˙ating sweet variety of apricot, dried with its ediblenut

Ì‹-e^- (ß)tsigu apricot nut. Sweet (ngarmo) are like almonds;bitter (k˙an†e) are toxic but pressed for fragrantoil ((ß)tsigu mar).

q*-v- kela banana

›^]- (r)gun grape

,f- aam mango

i^-o#- nyuti pear

d-b(- basho raisin

Nøc-e- starga walnut

128 Food & drink

SpicesMany Ladakhis are vague about spices, call them all masala, and don’t knowthe Ladakhi names. If the Hindi/Urdu word is given in italics below, it maybe more widely known than the Ladakhi/Tibetan name.f-n-v- masala spice; mixed spices, curry

powdern$e-Nƒ*v- sugmel (incorrectly lishi)

elaichigreen cardamom

v#-›([-q-q(-v lirgot, kakola, elaichi black cardamom

e(-NI([- (ladaksi) kornyot carroway

i*c-f- nyerma chilli

z$-n$- usu cilantro, coriander leaf

b#r-h- shing-ts˙a, dalchin cinnamon

b#r-frc- shing-ngar a medicinal spice (notcinnamon)

v#-b#- li-shi, laung cloves

e(-NI([- (gyagari) kornyot,zeera, jeera

cumin

t-N´- chazga , adarak ginger

s(-v(-v#r- p˙ololing, pudina mint

s(-d-c#v-d$- p˙o-a r ilu black pepper

h- ts˙a salt

w-c- k˙ara sugar; candy, sweets

x$r-sX*- yump˙e, haldi turmeric

Food & drink 129

Drinks

u- cha tea (non-hon, e.g. your own tea)

en(v-u- solja tea (hon , e.g. anybody else’s tea)

n$n-f- susma butter tea

w]-õ*-h-u- k˙an†e, ts˙a ja salt tea (as opp. to sweet tea)

u-frc-f(- cha ngarmo sweet tea

y$- ch˙u water

y$-dNœ(v- ch˙u skol boiled water (always served hot)

yr- ch˙ang 1 fresh fermented barley wine orbeer. 2 alcohol

Nœ≈*fn- skyems ch˙ang (hon )

,-ce- arak home-made distilled liquor

The phrase black tea may be known though it will probably be sweetened;otherwise you will have to describe your request. (But I don’t guarantee suchan exotic idea will be understood. Imagine a Ladakhi in England slowlysounding out Please put salt and butter in my tea: Of course most Englishpeople wouldn’t believe that was really meant. Likewise, a desire for plainunsweetened tea may be disbelieved in Ladakh.)oma nang k˙ara metkan-i chamilk and sugar without-of tea

Tea without milk and sugarz(-f-[r-w-c-f*[-fw]-]#-u!

k˙ara má-nyungun salsugar very-little give

Please add very little sugar.w-c-f-i^r-r$]-nv!

k˙ara ma-sal-na (r)gyal, ju-jusugar not-give-if it’s-good please

Please don’t put sugar in.w-c-f-nv-]-‰Xv-zu$-zu$!

Water boiled and then cooled may also be a tricky concept, since for Amchimedicine, the whole point of boiled water is to drink it hot.ch˙u skolte nang †angmo ch˙a-chukstewater boiled and cold go-allowed

Water boiled and then cooledy$-Nœ(v-o*-[r-eCr-f(-y-et$e-Nø*!

130 Food & drink

Special food requestsVegetarians or people with food restrictions will find these sentences useful.The words you may need to replace are in brackets. Ladakhi vegetariansgenerally don’t eat eggs, so make it clear if you do.nyerang (sha) don-ada? you (meat) eat/drnk? (hon)

Do you eat (meat)?i*-cr-(b-)z[(]-][-[!

(sha) za-amet(meat)eat-not

I don’t eat (meat).(b-);z-f*[!

in-ang (†˙ul) za-at but (egg) eat

But I eat (eggs).x#]-]zr-(ú%v-);z[!

(sha) tangste inog-a?(meat) given is-it?

Is it made with (meat)?(b-)eorn-o*-x#]-](e-e

(nyerma) zhimpo ts˙or-a-rak(chilli) delicious I-feel-it-is

I like (chilli).(i*c-f) -l#f-a(-h·c-c-ce

(nyerma) má-nyungun sal(chilli) very--little give

Please add very little (chilli).(i*c-f-)f-i^r-r$]-nv!

(snum) za-nyan-amet(oil) eat-can-not

I can’t eat (oil/fats).(N‘^f-);-i]-]-f*[!

(ts˙a) ma-sal-na gyal, ju-ju(salt) not-give-if it’s-good please

Please don’t put (salt) in.(h-)f-nv-]-‰Xv-zu$-zu$!

(oma) t˙ung-na zumo yongat(milk) drink-if illness comes

If I drink (milk), I get sick.(z(-f-)p%r-]-;$c-f(- x(r-r[!

(wichin) za-na zumo yongat(MSG) eat-if illness comes

If I eat (MSG), I get sick.(k#-y#]-);-]-;$c-f(-x(r-r[!

dzangs ma-cho!insincere-refusal don’t-do

Don’t refuse just to be polite!fjrn-f-dX(!

dzangs man!insincere-refusal isn’t

I honestly don’t want more: my refusal is sincere.fjrn-f]!

Language learning 131

Language learningLadaksi spera lobs-nyin-rakLadakhi language learn-want-feel

I want to learn Ladakhi.v-[˚en-n#-[a*-c-v(dn-NI#r-ce

(---) zerna, chi inok?(---) say-if, what is

What does (---) mean?-----;*c-]-t#-x#]-](e

(---) kazuga zer-a-nok?(---) how say-will

How do you say (---)?------e-;$e-e-;*c-c-](e

(---) kazuga ∂i-anok?(---) how write-will

How do you spell (---)?------e-;$e-e-zdC#z-](e

--- nang ---i bar-la chi k˙yat inok?-- and --of between difference what is

What’s the difference between --- and ---?-----[r------z#-dc-v-t#-∑[-x#]-](e

spera má-gyokspa sal-a -rakspeech very-quickly give(hon)-I-feel

You/he/she speaks quickly. (hon)[a*-c-f-fR(en-a-nv-v-ce

ku-le-a mol-ina -leslowly say (hon)-will?

Could you please speak slowly? (hon)q^-v*z-f(v-x#]-]-v*!

yang mol-inaagain say-will-? (hon)

Please say it again. (hon)xr-f(v-v#]-]!

ma-ts˙órnot-heard

I didn’t hear (that).f-h·c!

chí lowhat said

What did he/she/they say?t#-v(!

Hindi mi-shes. Ladaksi nanga molHindi not-know. Ladakhi in say(hon)

I don’t know Hindi. Say it in Ladakhi.m#]-[#-f#-b*n! v-[en-n#-]r-r-f(v!

Ladaksi nanga mol, ju-ju!Ladakhi in say please!

Please, say it in Ladakhi!v-[˚en-n#-]r-r-f(v! zu$-zu$!

sv-Nœ[- ph˙alskat modern spoken Ladakhi

y(n-Nœ[- ch˙oskat Classical Tibetan as in the books

y*-Øen- ch˙estaks honorific

132 Language learning

y*-Øen-f]-a- ch˙estaks manpa non-honorific

d([-x#e- Bodik Ladakhi writing, lit. Tibetan-letters

[d$-y*]- u-chen block letter Bodik (as in this book)

[d$-f*[- u-met cursive Bodik script

[a*-c- spera talk; language; conversation; idea

x#-e*- yi-ge letter (both meanings)

I have not found many Ladakhis able to explain the structure of their ownlanguage. Ladakhi grammar is not taught in school and the closest that istaught is Classical Tibetan, which has very different grammar, and even thatis not usually taught clearly, so that people confuse grammar with arcanespelling. I have learned what I have by asking people a lot of questions:‘What’s the difference between this and that?’

As you learn, look out for regional differences in pronunciation andvocabulary. Pronunciation usually follows regular and consistent patternswhich you can figure out if you can read Bodik. The grammar is basicallythe same across Ladakh, except that some verb endings have different forms,but people will often make the effort to speak Leh-skat to you if you’re justlearning.Ways to say I don’t knowm-v*- há-le? Pardon? What did you say?

m-e(-z- hago-a? Do you understand?

m-f-e(-m-e(- ha-ma-go/ha-go I don’t understand. /I do understand.

‰X^n-f*[- (r)gyus met I don’t know (about that)

f#-b*n- mi-shes I don’t know (a language or person)

t#-b*- chi she! I have no idea. How should I know?!

t#-n(r- chi song What happened?

Guide to pronunciationPractice these sounds with a Ladakhi friend—reading aboutpronunciation is no substitute for listening to a native speaker. Also,try to learn Bodik (written Ladakhi), as it’s easier than it looks andwill help you understand pronunciation. The writing andpronunciation section has additional tips.

Ladakhi distinguishes only five vowel sounds:a , as in father or cup (never as in flat or cat)i ,# as in bit or beatu ,$ as in boot or booke ,* as in bet or bait (never silent, so jule has two syllables)o ,( as in boat or long.

b d, g e, hm, j u, l v, m f, n ], s n, sh b, w k, y x and z ; are allbasically like English.zh l is as in plea s ure, Bre zh nev, or the French Je.ny i is as in ca ny on or o ni on, or British pronunciation of new.dz j, ky W, sk Nœ, gy R, and other combinations should be easy tounderstand. (Hindi and Urdu speakers should take care to say themsmoothly without an extra vowel in the middle.)Lh Vµ is not difficult: try saying h and l at the same time.r c is very slightly trilled with the tip of the tongue almost tappingthe roof of the mouth like the Spanish r, but it can vary in context.Listen to how Ladakhis pronounce it.ng r is common in English as in si ng . To learn to say it at the begin-ning of words, close your eyes and repeat singing-ing-ing-ing severaltimes, holding the ng for a long time and paying attention to theposition of the tongue in your mouth. Repeat sing-ah several times,and then leave the si part silent and say ngah! There’s no hard g innga.

Aspiration: Ladakhi, like Tibetan, Hindi, Urdu and Thai,distinguishes between aspirated consonants (k˙, t˙, †˙, p˙ , ch˙ , ts˙)which have a puff of air after them, and unaspirated ones, whichdon’t (k, t, †, p, ch, ts).

Although unaware of the difference, English speakers tend toaspirate at the beginning of words and not in the middle or end: inp ositive, ch arge and That’s t ough, they usually aspirate the p, the chand the t, but in o pp osite, mat ch es and That s t uff, they use theunaspirated sounds. Some people feel that p sounds like a crossbetween English p and b, k like a cross between English k and g, andch like a cross between English ch and j. English and Germanspeakers should try holding the breath while saying unaspiratedconsonants.p a and p˙ s are like English p: p as in opposite or spy, and p˙ as inpositive or pie. Occasionally p˙ sounds like English f .ch t and ch˙ y are like English ch: ch as in matches, ch˙ as incharge.k q and k˙ w are like English k: k as in lo ck er, k˙ as in c ollege.ts g and ts h are like Patsy or the German Zed. Hindi and Urduspeakers should take care not to confuse ts with ch˙.t o, t˙ p and d [ are not like English t and d, but are said with the tipof the tongue touching the back of the front teeth, as in Spanish.† \, †˙ „, and ∂ [} are similar to English t and d, but are pronouncedwith the tip of the tongue curled back into the palate as if to say r.Sometimes there is a faint hint of r in them. Ladakhis hear thenormal English t and d as these: † as in stuff, †˙ as in tough , and ∂ asin done. Actually, however, the tip of the tongue should curl furtherback into the roof of the mouth than in English.ßh nC is a unique sound, not found in English or even Tibetan: say shwith your tongue curled into the roof of your mouth.

Accented syllables are occasionally marked (e.g. á, é) in phrasesto show the correct stress

Sounds that are optional or almost disappear in connected speechare in brackets: (r)gyalla, (l)demo, du(g)a. Optional sounds before aword often change to s in Leh accent, are pronounced clearly inwestern Ladakh (Sham), and are silent towards the east.

Vocabulary & phrasesPlace names 80People

Personal names 82Family members 84

Pronouns 85Nobody, nothing, and never 86Question words 86Demonstrative pronouns 87

Verbs 88Adjectives 95Post-positions (English prepositions) 98Conjunctions 100Exclamations & wishes 101Days and time 102Religion 105Health and emergencies 107Body parts 109Agriculture 110Animals 112

Wildlife 113, Birds 114Trekking 115

Directions 117, Landmarks 118Weather & sky 119

Transportation: Bus & taxi 120, Air travel 121Market 121Around the house & village 122

Renting a room 122Bedroom & kitchen 123, Water 124

Food & drink 125Vegetables 126, Fruits & nuts 127Spices 128, Drinks 129Special food requests 130

Language learning 131Ways to say I don’t know 132

Documents

Getting Started in Ladakhi - A Phrasebook